Spotless Mind
by kawaiikonann
Summary: She wasn't sure when it happened really, somewhere within soft spoken words about his past, the father he lost, the friends he made along the way and how he lost them too. It was for them to know and act upon only, and no one had any say in it. "Shame on me for changing. No, shame on you for staying the same." Inspired by Spotless Mind x Jhene Aiko. Rating might change.
1. Spotless Mind

Unexpected really. And a bit cliché if she were to be honest with herself. Sometime after the fourth great ninja war, Sakura had begun to see Kakashi in a different light. It happened slowly but surely, the way she started to notice little things like the way his eyes dulled when hovering over paperwork at his desk, or the way his smile widened under his mask when she would visit with a container full of warm eggplant miso. The Hokage title didn't suit him, she thought to herself amusingly. Not that he didn't deserve it or wasn't up to par for it, he was a genius and a hero of war, he earned the title. Kakashi was just too laid back in her eyes to be stuck in such a serious job. It was obvious he couldn't wait for Naruto to take up the mantle, to finally be free of the desk and responsibility. Sakura knew for a fact he loved Konoha and its people; the job was just too stuffy for him.

"Sakura-chan are you paying attention?"

She quickly looked up from her ramen bowl, only to be met by curious bright blue eyes and another set of dark charcoal orbs. It was her weekly ramen date with Team 7, sans Kakashi, Sai and Yamato. The Hokage was too busy with his duties to join them. As for the other two, she was practically willing to bet that Sai was holed up somewhere with Ino, and Yamato was no doubt trailing after the Snake Sannin. "Sorry guys, I'm a bit tired. Long day at the hospital."

"You should take a few days off.", Sasuke said as he placed his chopsticks beside his bowl. She looked down and felt her cheeks warm as she noticed she had let her ramen go cold, too preoccupied in her thoughts of Kakashi to enjoy her meal.

"Yeah Sakura-chan, Sasuke is right, besides, the hospital can't be that busy now that were at peace. Even our missions have been cut back a lot." She looked up at Naruto and couldn't help the smile that spread on her face as she noticed the way his face scrunched up in a pout. She knew for a fact all the good missions were very few to come by since the fourth great ninja war. Everyone was at peace, or at least seemed to be, and the hospital had certainly slowed down the pace as there weren't as many shinobi injuries as there used to be before the war.

"Fine, I'll put in a notice tomorrow, but I should definitely run it by Kakashi. Gotta go guys, thanks for dinner!" She quickly picked her bag up, blew them each a kiss, and hightailed it toward the hokage tower.

**...**

* * *

"Wasn't it Sakura-chan's turn to pay? She's been hanging around Kakashi-sensei so much that his cheapskate habits have rubbed off on her." Naruto exclaimed in between mouthfuls of Sakura's cold ramen.

"It is strange isn't it?" added the Uchiha. While the loudmouthed blonde next to him was oblivious to the things happening around him, Sasuke had a sharp eye, even without the aid of his Sharingan and Rinnegan.

The girl who once claimed to love him was no longer invested in him. He had noticed a change in her demeanor after what he had almost done to her when he killed Danzo. He had lost her affections and he surely had it coming, not that it bothered him. It was refreshing to see a side of Sakura that didn't cling to his very being, and while it gave him a feeling of relief, it also made him feel a bit empty, but Sakura deserved better than him, he was far too jaded and damaged by hate to be the kind of person she should be with.

"Huh? I don't think so."

"Of course, you don't.", and in a whirl, Sasuke was gone.

"Here's the tab Naruto-kun, I hope everything was great!" Ayame exclaimed as she handed him the bill.

"I PAID LAST TIME!" Naruto howled at no one in particular, as he pulled his frog wallet out of his pocket. The full frog was soon to be hungry again.

* * *

**...**

The sight of the village at night never got old to her. From the gates to the hokage tower, Sakura loved every bit of it. Yamato and the villagers had done an amazing job at reconstructing after Pain's assault, and the village was a sight to see. As she neared the hokage tower, she suddenly felt a familiar chakra approaching. He wanted his presence to be known.

"Sasuke-kun, it wasn't my tun to pay was it?", she asked, with a mischievous hint to her tone. She was toying with him, of course it was her turn. Things with Sasuke had been…complicated to say the least. Sakura had never fully forgiven him for trying to plunge a Chidori through her heart, but she tried for Naruto's sake, and for the sake of Team 7. The only person she was sure had seen through her true feelings was Kakashi, after all, he was the one to teach them to look underneath the underneath, and if Sasuke even had an inkling of doubt that she felt anyway other than how she presented herself, he said nothing.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm here Sakura. Don't think I haven't noticed." The playfulness quickly dropped off her face and was replaced by a scowl.

"Noticed what, exactly?", she asked with a bit of spike to her tone. _'I guess he has seen through you, Sakura.'_, she thought to herself. Surely, the fact that she wasn't acting as warm as Naruto was to him couldn't be keeping the great Uchiha up at night.

"This whole thing with Kakashi. It's not smart. Don't do this to yourself.", he calmly spoke, as if they had merely been having a conversation about the weather. The indifferent expression on his face was enough to get her blood boiling, and for a second, she debated to herself what the pro's and con's of smashing his pretty little porcelain-like face into the ground. He had really done it this time, after all Sasuke had put her through, he seriously had some nerve. She quickly gained her composure and let out the most sarcastic laugh she could conjure.

"You really have some nerve pretending to know what's best for me more than I do. There is nothing going on with Kakashi-sensei, and even if there was, it would have nothing to do with you, _Uchiha_.", she spat out venomously. "I'm not sure if you noticed, but you stopped being a priority to me the second you decided if didn't matter to you whether I lived or not, the moment you almost _literally _ripped my heart out. Don't you _ever _pretend to know me or my feelings again Sasuke, or I'll make sure you eat out of a straw for weeks!", she quickly turned on her heel and made her way to the hokage tower, leaving him completely stumped.

Sasuke had never seen her that angry before. He knew she still held some resentment towards him for the things he said and did before the war, but he didn't know just how bad it was, and what was meant to come off as caring had obviously came off another way to Sakura. For once, he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't go to Naruto; he'd go straight to Sakura and blow things up a whole notch higher. He'd have to let things play out for a while longer, if he couldn't keep Sakura from making any mistakes, the least he could do was make sure Kakashi didn't give her any false hope.

* * *

**...**

"Sakura-chan, I could've sworn I sensed Sasuke-kun with you. To what do I owe the pleasure of having my favorite student visit her old sensei?"

Sakura scoffed as she walked up to sit on the empty chair across the desk from him. He had sensed them near the tower, which meant there was no way he missed the spike of her chakra as she angrily blew up on Sasuke. "Sasuke's an asshole."

"Surely, you haven't just now noticed, have you?", he replied, as he quickly scanned his eyes over a scroll. She couldn't help the laugh that erupted out of her, nothing like the sarcastic one she had given Sasuke just a few moments earlier, but a genuine one. She knew Kakashi didn't fully trust Sasuke the way Naruto did, but he was trying harder than she was for sure. He was done losing friends, and even after all the things Sasuke had done, he still considered him one, if not, even family. The thought quickly made her heart clench. Kakashi considered them all family. She couldn't let her feelings mess that up, especially not for him.

"I haven't, but that's not why I'm here Kaka-sensei. I was going to ask if I could have a week off from the hospital. It's not as busy now that the war has been over for a few months and I've been looking forward to some training and relaxing."

Kakashi set the paper he was studying down and ran a hand through his gravity defying hair. The way his fingers moved through the strands mesmerized her for a second, and she briefly wondered if his hair was as soft as it looked. She was quickly brought out of the trance when he spoke.

"Of course, just make sure you let your staff know when you're leaving and when you plan on returning. Don't strain yourself too much, Sakura-chan. Try to relax more than you train though, you've been looking a bit distracted lately." She felt her cheeks warm up at the thought of him scrutinizing her enough to be able to make that statement. Just how much of her did Kakashi pay attention to? _Does he know of your feelings towards him?_ she thought to herself.

"Sorry sensei, I've just had a lot on my mind, is all." The nervousness her thoughts had brought on had her chewing on her bottom lip, but she mentally reprimanded herself and stopped before he noticed. "Do you ever feel like life is just playing a huge joke on you?", she couldn't help but ask.

If Sakura were to be honest with herself, that's exactly how she felt about her attraction to her former teacher, and Sasuke's intrusion was just the cherry on top. What was he thinking, confronting her about something so personal, and how had she made her feelings so obvious?

"One too many times to count." His answer was something she should have expected. After everything he'd been through, how could she ask him something so childish? He'd lost family, teammates, friends, mentors, all that seemed huge in comparison to her current predicament. Sakura was truly an idiot. The faraway look in his charcoal eyes made her heart clench and she thoughtlessly placed her hand on top of his, offering him as much comfort as she could without having him deflect. For a moment she wished she could do something other than heal physical wounds, his mental and emotional ones were far more taxing on him.

"I'm sorry, that was a stupid question, my problems are trivial compared to what you've been through sensei.", she apologetically murmured. He turned his hand over under hers, and she could feel his calloused fingertips brushing over her smaller ones. The lingering touch sent a shiver down her spine and caused her cheeks to redden. Sakura looked up, only to be met by Kakashi staring back at her with a deep look that made her want to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything was okay.

"It's not a competition Sakura-chan. Everyone's problems are valid and should be acknowledged. Feelings too. I should get back to my paperwork, enjoy your time off." He slid his hand out from under hers and quickly picked up a stack of paperwork. Just like that the moment ended, and for a second she didn't know how to react. Did he feel what she felt in that moment? She didn't want to linger, so she quickly hummed in agreement and made her way out of his office, resting her back on the closed door.

She was sure she made a fool out of herself, touching him so affectionately, even if as just to comfort him. Sakura had crossed a line, and Kakashi had pushed her back over it the moment he pulled his hand back. She was stumped, none of the time she spent hunched over books and scrolls would ever prepare her for something like this. Should she give up? Or should she keep trying? Hadn't she already been through this once with Sasuke? The thought of the stoic Uchiha made her shake her head. Kakashi was nothing like him, and with that, she gained her composure and headed to her apartment, intent on getting rest and coming up with a plan the next day. Kakashi Hatake would either reciprocate her feelings or at least acknowledge them.


	2. Change

Kakashi liked to think he was a sensible man. Sure he had been an asshole to all genin teams assigned to him, and yeah he liked to read porn novels in public and keep people waiting (a habit which was slowly being stripped from him thanks to his new kage title), but he was sensible nonetheless. Sensible enough to know that nothing good could come out of his pink haired students growing fondness of him, at least.

Sakura was extraordinary. He had noticed the moment she grew from a small helpless girl to a strong kunoichi when Naruto came back from his training with Jiraya and he tested out their new skills, and it had stung him a bit to know that none of her advancements had been brought on by his tutelage. He had been a horrible teacher to her, choosing to only acknowledge the two boys who reminded him of himself and Obito, and leaving her behind to figure it out by herself. Even when he had lost Sasuke to Orochimaru and Naruto had gone off with Jiraya, he chose not to reach out, which in his opinion was really the best thing he could've done for her. She trained under the Godaime hokage and surpassed her, something she wouldn't have accomplished if he had held her back.

Staying within a distance was the best thing to do for her, if anything. Kakashi had a tough luck of ruining everything he got too close to, and he was always one to learn from his mistakes. He pinched the bridge of his nose to try and keep the incoming headache his thoughts were threatening to bring to no avail, so he pulled out a bottle of sake from his desk drawer and a serving dish. He poured himself a drink and hastily drank it, savoring the way the rice drink burned his throat on the way down. He had recognized Sakura's change of heart toward him, but what about himself? Was he ready to even go there?

Kakashi had tried his hardest to ignore the moment Sakura had physically matured. Even as his friends (Genma in particular) pointed out how entrancing she was when she walked into a room, demanding the attention of everyone inside with her beautiful jade eyes and long milky legs, he acted indifferent. Eventually it wouldn't be acting, and the more he ignored it the less if would affect him, he hoped; that hadn't worked. Sakura had wormed her way past his defenses, whether she knew it or not. He took another swig of his drink to stop Sakura from clouding his mind, vivid images of her hair, her eyes, her legs and her hips dispersing as the liquor burned down. Obviously, he hadn't really tried that hard to keep her out.

Something about Sakura had changed, he wasn't sure exactly when it did, but he noticed it after he saved her from being impaled by Sasuke's Chidori. She began spending whatever free time she had with him, from asking him to train with her to treating him to lunch, but the only thing he found odd about it was the fact that he didn't mind the company. He had gotten used to being alone, had convinced himself that it was something enjoyable, but he began to look forward to their training sessions, or even just small bits of conversation with her. Then the war came, and as selfish as it was, the only thing he hoped was for Sakura to be okay after it. Konoha was an afterthought.

"You need to tell her, you really should. It'll do you both good." He had been so lost in thought, he hadn't sensed when his long-time friend had entered the room. He quickly pulled out a second dish and poured them both a drink, knowing well Gai wasn't one to refuse a good drink, especially an imported sake.

"She's young Gai, she deserves better than someone as old and jaded as me. I've seen and done far worse than she has, what could I possibly offer her?", he asked his friend. It was at times like those that Kakashi was glad to have let someone in past the walls he had constructed when he lost Obito and Rin. Having someone to talk to and confide in helped him take the weight off his chest and keep his mind from consuming him. Gai stationed his chair over to his desk and accepted the drink, savoring the taste before drinking it all. For sure, one of the perks of being hokage was the different varieties of high-quality sake people gifted him with, something he was sure Tsunade missed.

"You're highly underestimating her Kakashi. She's been through war, she's seen and done enough, and she's not even halfway done. Youth is what you make of it, and in my eyes you're the epitome of it my friend." Kakashi let Gai's words sink in for a while. He was right. He _was _underestimating Sakura, something he had always done. Had he not learned enough about her from all their time spent together? They had fought on the front lines against Kaguya Otsutsuki and there he was, still not seeing her at her full potential. He was making excuses.

"Maybe so, but I was her teacher. It's wrong."

"Wrong in who's eyes?", Gai asked. "You _were _her teacher, and not for long if I recall. The shodai hokage had his wife had a bigger age difference if that's what's really bothering you, but we both know it's not, so what is it? Spit it out my friend." Kakashi poured them both another drink and quickly gulped his down, as his mind began to fog a bit from all the sake. Gai would surely think he was crazy, but he figured it was worth a shot to get a second opinion.

"Honestly Guy, I think I'm cursed, everything I touch I ruin.", his friend looked about ready to intervene but Kakashi held his hand up and continued, "My mother, my father, Minato-sensei, Obito, Rin. It can't be just coincidence. I don't want to ruin her too." He stared at his empty sakazuki, debating whether to fill it up again or call it quits for the night, before his friend's voice brought him back from thought.

"None of that was your fault Kakashi, and it's about time you realize that. There is no curse. Your mother's death was not your fault. Sakumo's death was not your fault. Obito was not your fault. Rin was not your fault. Yondaime was not your fault. You've been carrying this misguided guilt for too many years and it's about time you let it go. All these deaths, regardless of the circumstances were caused by war. You won't hurt Sakura," his friend assured him. "if anything, I'm scared she'll hurt you, she packs quite a punch.", he added jokingly, lifting the serious aura from the conversation.

"Thank you, Gai.", Kakashi murmured from behind his once again full sakazuki. That was the first time Kakashi had ever heard someone assure him that none of the losses he had suffered were his fault, and while it didn't make him completely sure about the topic, it sprouted a bit of relief in him, enough to be able to picture a _what if _concerning Sakura. Maybe things would be okay if he were to reciprocate her approaches.

"Don't mention it, just stop keeping the poor girl waiting. I'll see you around Kakashi." As Gai, left the room Kakashi couldn't help but think to himself how much the conversation had changed things. There was a small inkling of hope sprouting in him. Maybe things would be fine with Sakura, maybe it was why death had denied him entry to the afterlife during Pain's assault. Maybe it was what his father meant when he said he still had a lot of things to do in the world of the living. Could his future really be intertwined with Sakura?

Kakashi quickly placed the bottle of sake and the dishes back in his drawer and looked at the time. _'12am, she's definitely asleep by now,'_, he thought to himself. He quickly grabbed his robe and made his way out of his office, deciding to head home and wait until the next day to approach Sakura with his newly found hope.

**...**

* * *

Okay, so this was a short chapter in my opinion, but I just wanted to get Kakashi's perspective down. I really liked the conversation with Gai, and I hope you guys liked it as well, it was a serious side of Gai that I enjoyed writing. Kakashi seems a bit OC to me but I have a hard time reading the man behind the mask, and I read so many KakaSaku fanfics that I didn't want to steal his personality from someone's perspective. Also, feel free to leave me reviews, I love feedback, and I can take criticism well! Leave me suggestions for Sasuke as well, I know where I'm going with him, but I don't know how I'm going to get there if that makes sense. Also, I don't know if there was an age difference between the Shodai Hokage and Mito, I just added that to my story lol! The more reviews the faster I update! Thank you for reading!

PS. Sakazuki is a sake dish!


	3. Wading

Sasuke was never good at showing his emotions. To him, it meant showing weakness, and he despised the idea of it, but he couldn't contain the scowl that marred his face, which was beginning to feel as if it were a permanent look, like the expressions on each of the great stone faces. It had been a while since the last time something made him feel anything other than apathetic, and he didn't particularly take to the feeling of being responsible for angering Sakura. He was used to hurting her, but she had never been angry at him, it seemed almost like an impossible feeling for her to have towards him.

He couldn't really blame her though, Sasuke had crossed the line and he was mistaken to think Sakura had forgiven him for his actions. Between reforming Team 7 to bring down Kaguya and all their team lunch dates, he had fooled himself into a sense of ease, and he had failed to see that Sakura still held a considerable amount of resentment towards him. She had professed her love to him countless times and he had repaid her by trying to kill her, which he had only failed to do because of Naruto and Kakashi.

Kakashi. He still couldn't wrap his mind around Sakura having feelings for him. She had denied it but Sasuke was not one to be easily fooled, he wasn't oblivious like Naruto. Upon his return to the Hidden Leaf, he had noticed the pink haired kunoichi had stopped trailing after him like she did back in their childhood, and while he hadn't thought much of it at first, he quickly became irked when he realized Kakashi was the one receiving all her free time.

He told himself that the thing that bothered him about it was that Sakura deserved better than someone like Kakashi. He was older than her, almost twice her age, and he would probably just use her. He had seen the way other shinobi eyed her, and had twice overheard conversations between others about what they'd do to the Godaime Hokage's apprentice if they could have one night with her; the only thing that had kept him from harming the two jonin was his undecided position in the village. Kakashi probably had the same thoughts in his mind, and he'd be damned if he'd let him hurt Sakura. He had already caused her enough suffering, and he felt indebted to her for all the years she had wasted seeing a part of him that Sasuke himself hadn't been sure ever existed.

He had to have a word with Kakashi. Hokage or not, he'd make him listen.

* * *

**...**

"FOREHEAD! OPEN UP THIS DOOR OR I'M KNOCKING IT DOWN!"

Sakura should've known Ino would get word of her break from the hospital before she could even tell the blonde bombshell herself. She had figured she'd at least have time to sleep in a bit, take a good long bath and water the various succulents that adorned her balcony before she could head over to the Yamanaka house to invite her best friend to _Amaguriama_ for some _manju_ and tea. She quickly dashed to her front door, knowing better than to take her friends threat lightly, and opened the door enough for the blue eyed kunoichi to slip in.

"Geez Pig, did you have to barge in this early?", she jokingly asked, as she pulled out two identical teal mugs from her kitchen counter and set the coffee brewer up. A quick pick me up was a must when facing Ino or Naruto so early in the morning.

"I had to get the 4-1-1 Forehead," the blonde brazenly replied as she accepted the mug of sweetened coffee. "Sai-kun and I were on our way to his house from the new restaurant by the Hokage Residence, you know, the one with the famous Wagyu beef from _Kumogakure_, when we spotted none other than Billboard brow and her raven haired team having a lovers spat near the Hokage tower!", she cheekily finished while eyeing the other kunoichi.

"First of all, Ino, Sasuke and I are the furthest thing from lovers, and lastly, what all did you hear? Knowing you, those pig ears probably heard everything there was to hear." Sakura couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. She had been so caught up with her hospital work and Kakashi that she hadn't had any time to catch up with Ino. She was completely out of the loop about her feelings towards Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Honestly, all I could make out was you bitching him out about feelings and Lord Sixth. And don't look so down, I know you better than you know yourself, it's not just on you that we haven't had a sit down in a while. Father left some pretty big shoes to fill, and I've been having a great time getting to know every bit of Sai, if you know what I mean.", the blonde finished with a wink.

Sakura rolled her eyes and chuckled at her friends remark. She was happy for Ino and Sai, they both deserved the happiness they found in each other, and they complimented their respective personalities wonderfully. It reminded her of herself and Kakashi, and she couldn't help the light tinge of pink that crept up her cheeks. From the way her friend shot up a knowing eyebrow at her, she could tell she had noticed the slip up, and in that, she decided to come clean.

"Ino, I'm pretty sure I'm in love, and this time it's the real thing." Her best friend set down her half empty cup of coffee and got comfortable, with her elbow on the kitchen counter and her head resting on the palm of her head.

"Spill it."

"Okay, but promise you won't interrupt until I finish, and that you won't tell a soul!". The blonde stuck her pinky out, a childhood sign of promise and secrecy, and Sakura interlocked hers with it. She knew she could count on her best friend to keep her promises and take her secrets to the grave and was looking forward to the advice she'd be sure to give her. The rosette let out a deep breath and thought for a bit, before finding a good place to start.

"I'm in love with Kakashi-sensei. I know how impulsive it sounds Ino, but it's different than things were with Sasuke, I can feel it in my bones. And I know you're probably thinking about Sasuke but honestly, I was done the moment he decided my life was in the way of his goals. I was six when I decided I loved him, and I say decided because I didn't fall in love with him, I was just infatuated. And I'm a bit ashamed to admit it took me ten years and one out of two attempts at my life to realize that. When I think of how much time I wasted, my fingers turn to fists." Her friend placed a hand over hers, comforting her the same way she had done to Kakashi the night before, and gave her an empathetic look, nodding her head as a sign for her to continue her venting.

"Kakashi… he's amazing Ino." She couldn't find the words to elaborate it. Kakashi was an enigma, and it was still hard to believe he had opened up his world to her, the one beyond the tardy excuses and smut novels. It was something completely deeper than when he finally let her see his face, a secret that she had hidden from everyone else, something special she wanted to cherish.

"You don't have to explain it Sakura," blue eyes met viridian, and her friend smiled in the most sincere manner, "I know what you mean, and I too think this is it for you, the size of that droopy smile can give your forehead a run for its money!", she finished, playfully swatting the pinkette on her arm. "On a serious note, the happiness is radiating from you, something I never saw when you had Sasuke in your heart."

"Sasuke confronted me about Kakashi last night. He knows how I feel about him, I denied it out of anger. I really hate him. It's a strong word but it's true. If it weren't for Naruto, I wouldn't hesitate to teach him just how much I learned from Lady Tsunade." Anger from the night before resurfaced, and she felt herself gripping her mug a little too hard, before finally setting it down and calming her nerves. A reconciliation between the two teammates was beginning to look less like something that could ever happen.

"Was he looking forward to coming back to the village and still having you following him around the way Naruto does?", the blonde replied with a swift roll of her azure eyes.

"He sounded more like he wanted to warn me about acting on my feelings, either way it has nothing to do with him, and he's definitely not someone who should be giving me any type of _'caring' _advice. But enough about Sasuke, I need your help." The glint in her green eyes was enough to let the blonde in on what she meant, and before she could even elaborate, she had her answer.

"''_Operation: Pervert and Blossom' _is now in order! Let's take our planning down to _Amaguriama._"

* * *

**...**

It was finally noon, and the Rokudaime finally had a bit of time cleared thanks to Shikamaru for a well-deserved lunch break. Paperwork was starting to cloud his everyday thoughts, and he was looking forward to fresh air, his books, and some _yaki nasu_. He had spent a good part of his night thinking of a perfect time to approach Sakura, but the nagging voice in the back of his mind had given him a million reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea.

The conversation with Guy had given him the resolve he needed, but he feared ruining her more than he feared having to see her move on to someone better than him. Her safety was a priority to him, some thing he hadn't had since he lost Obito and Rin. Kakashi couldn't keep them out of harms way, he had failed them, but he wouldn't fail her.

He quickly reached the worn-down hole in the wall restaurant he loved to frequent and walked in, greeting the flustered server before taking a seat in his favorite booth. The aura in the place was a comfort to him, something that since his childhood had yet to change, like the order of _yaki nasu _and unsweet green tea that every worker in the establishment knew by heart.

His thoughts were disrupted by the chime of the doorbell. Kakashi had never seen anyone else walk into the establishment before during the day, it was a place that was only ever busy during the afterhours, full of people wanting nothing more than a warm meal after a long night of drinking. The surprise doubled when Sasuke took a seat across from him.

"Fancy seeing you here Sasuke-kun, I never saw you as the type to walk into a place like this. Have you tried their umeboshi?" The silver haired kage had noticed the tension rolling off the Uchiha instantly and chose to feign ignorance. Whatever it was, he wouldn't beat around the bush, that was something all the Uchiha's he had crossed paths with had in common.

"Sakura obviously has some sort of attachment to you. It's not right. I care about her enough to see it, and if you care about her, you should too."

Before he had a chance to reply, the food he hadn't needed to order was brought out to him along with a hot cup of fresh green tea. It suddenly didn't seem as appetizing as it had when he had thought about it in the confines of the Hokage tower, and with good cause. Every reason he had to not cross a line with the feisty pink haired kunoichi was being shoved back to the surface by another one of his former students. He could faintly make out the Uchiha shaking his head at the waitress, probably letting her know that he wouldn't be joining him for lunch for long.

"She deserves better, and I hope she finds it, but I know it won't be with either one of us. We've lost too much to be able to give her what she needs.", Sasuke added.

Kakashi couldn't avoid the sudden annoyance that he felt the more he thought about what Sasuke was saying. Sakura was grown; who was Sasuke to talk so freely about her like he owned her? Who was he _himself _to suddenly treat her like a vulnerable girl?

"You know, I never did see you as the type to underestimate anyone, especially your own teammates.", he finally replied. His answer didn't seem to appease the Uchiha, and he found himself internally enjoying the irritation he could get out of him. "Sakura is old enough to know what is and isn't good for herself, she demonstrated that when she finally let go of you, don't you think?"

Before Sasuke could reply, he had already placed his payment on the table and made his way out. The only thing he was going to let the Uchiha ruin was his lunch, he decided. Shikamaru would strangle him when he finally found him, but the Hokage tower just wasn't a place he wanted to be at the moment, and he was still hungry. With thoughts of eggplant miso and pink tresses, he made his way to the apartment of the object of his affections, being careful to avoid anyone with the potential to rat him out or force him back to his duties.

* * *

**...**

I just noticed how terrible my first chapter reads, I didn't edit it in the FF editor so the tabs separating my POV's were removed and it merged everything into a confusing mess, sorry! I hope you guys like the new chapter, I tried to make it a bit longer!

P.S

Amaguriama is an actual sweets shop in Naruto.

Manju is a Japanese steamed cake with sweet red bean filling, although it can have other fillings.

The wagyu restaurant is made up, I like to think Sai has the funds to take Ino to nice places, ha-ha!

Yaki Nasu is a type of grilled eggplant dish (eggplant is one of Kakashi's favorite foods), and I also made up the restaurant Kakashi went to!

Umeboshi (one of Sakuras's favorite foods) is pickled plums!


	4. While We're Young

The conversation with Ino had been a great way to vent out her frustrations with Sasuke, but mostly a way for her to come to terms with the fact that she could no longer pretend as if everything was okay for the sake of her Jinchuriki friend. Sure, he'd be upset, and would probably try and get Sakura to forgive their teammate, but he'd have to understand. Sakura was no longer the person she was when Sasuke deserted the village. She'd grown, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, and all she could see in herself was unforgiveness toward Sasuke. Nothing he could ever do would make her see him as anything other than the person he showed himself to be, shooting towards her with an intent to kill.

As she shook the thoughts out of her head, intent on continuing to read the medical journal she held in her hands, she was interrupted by a knocking on her door. She set the journal down on the coffee table across from the loveseat she had been snuggled up in and made her way to her front door, peeking through the peephole to get a glimpse of the person who had masked their presence. She was taken by surprise when she was met by a goofy masked grin and charcoal eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei?", she asked, a bit of confusion at having him standing outside her door mingling in with her words. She had been certain she had set herself a step back with her brazen act of affection the night before, when she had taken his hand in hers. She could still feel the tingling on her fingertips, and she couldn't fight back the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"Sakura, do you mind if I come in? I had something I needed to get off my chest." His words took her by surprise, and she nodded, stepping aside to let him in to her apartment. She shut the door behind him and guided him to the kitchen, a place where they had shared plenty of conversations over green tea and _senbei. _Her hands trembled as she set out the tea kettle and she mentally berated herself for how stupid she had been during their last encounter. She spoke before Kakashi had the chance to.

"I'm really sorry about last night, sensei.", she set a cup of tea in front of him and took a seat next to him on the kitchen island before continuing. "I shouldn't have- "

"Don't call me that anymore." She quickly looked up from where she had been avoiding his gaze, and before she could ask him what he meant, Kakashi had lowered his mask down and continued. "I haven't been your teacher for a while, and even when I was, there wasn't much I did teach you." Her gaze had been stuck on the unmasked lower half of his face, a sight that seemed to get more enchanting the more she was exposed to it, and she slowly turned up her sight, meeting his gaze with all the affection she no longer cared to hide. Ino was right, hiding her feelings was a waste of time.

"Don't even, _Kakashi_. You've taught me plenty." So many times, she had wanted to let him know he had no reason to beat himself up over the past, that everything he did lead her to become the person she now was, but most of all, she wanted to let him know how she felt. Ignoring the need to ask him what the reason for his visit was, she gathered her courage and with a newfound courage burning in her jade eyes, she spoke. "I've learned a lot about myself thanks to you. You taught me how to see myself for what I'm worth, and it's thanks to that that I learned how to let go of things that were holding me back and let myself attract the good things that I needed to succeed, and honestly, I'm sure you're one of those things.", she took a deep breath and locked eyes with him, trying to read what he was thinking, feeling, but the sound of her heart beating loudly at an accelerated rate was too distracting.

He was everything she thought she saw in Sasuke and more, the reason she smiled to herself so often in the middle of the night while trying to calm her racing heart after thinking about his little quirks. He was the reason she tried her hardest to make it back from missions in one piece, because the thought of breaking his heart after all the times he'd had it broken made her want to curl up and cry. Sakura wanted nothing more than to cover him in her love and let him see just how much he meant to her, but she didn't want to smother him, so she kept it at that.

The feeling of his ungloved hand caressing her blush tinted cheek brought her back from her train of thoughts, and she softly gasped at the electricity the touch sent down her spine. She couldn't believe what was happening at the moment, the slight bit of affection seeming like a whole different side to the slightly aloof man that she was in love with.

"I'm not so sure I'm as good as you think I am, but I'm ready to try if you're willing to have me. It's my reason for visiting, I've been having an internal dilemma for a while now about whether I'm good for you or not, but that's not entirely up to me or anyone else to decide. It's up to you." He ran his thumb over her cheek in slow motions and Sakura swore to herself that if she were to die at that moment, there wouldn't be a thing she'd change. He had changed their dynamic with those words and opened up a door she thought was going to take a while for her to open herself, and she felt elated.

Before Kakashi had a chance to ask her for an answer, she dug her fingers into his gravity defying white locks and pressed her lips to his.

* * *

**...**

Kakashi was taken by surprise when Sakura kissed him, the feel of her soft lips had every cell in his body feeling like they were on fire, and it was the most pleasant feeling he had ever felt. It wasn't the first time the copy-nin had kissed, or rather been kissed, by a woman, but the feeling was completely different. His first kiss had been given to him by Rin a year after Obito's death and had left him feeling like it wasn't meant for him as much as it was meant for Obito. His last one was with a civilian girl from a village in the outskirts of Kirigakure, the night after Rin's death. That kiss and the events it led to had left him feeling disgusted with himself.

The kiss with Sakura had him feeling relieved. It was as if a piece of himself was being returned to him and was making him feel whole again. He couldn't remember feeling so at ease since his father was still alive, and he welcomed the feeling with open arms.

He quickly matched her eagerness, wrapping his arms around her lithe form, the way he imagined doing so many times in his daydreams, and she sighed contently into his mouth. He could taste the cherry chapstick on her lips, and it felt as intoxicating as the imported sake in his desk drawer. It was making his head spin and he wanted more of it.

He trailed his tongue over her lips, slowly asking for entrance and she obliged, humming her approval. He felt her untangle her hands from his hair and when he felt them slide under the hem of his shirt, he grasped both her wrists. He softly broke the kiss, and he could see the confusion painted on her face as she looked up at him, her kiss bruised lips parted slightly as she caught her breath.

"We should slow down; I want to do this the right way. You deserve that from me.", he explained, as he trailed soft kisses along her jaw. She slowly nodded, but before she could reply, a knock on her door interrupted.

"I should go, it's probably a poor chunin among many sent out by Shikamaru to look for me." He kissed the top of her head softly, but as he turned towards her bedroom, intent on heading out undetected from her balcony, he was pulled back into a long kiss by the pinkette.

"Doing things the right way includes proper goodbye kisses, _Lord Seventh,_" she chided him playfully, "and don't forget your mask." She quickly dashed towards her living room, the sound of a second impatient knock reverberating through the apartment. Kakashi couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor fool who was about to get it.

He quickly made his way out, chuckling internally at the sight of the angry kunoichi slamming the door on the poor chunins face, but instead of making his way to his desk full of paperwork, he decided to take a quick trip to the memorial stone. He had a lot to talk to his friends about.

* * *

**...**

"I've told you before Sasuke. We can read each other's thoughts through exchanging blows. Something is wrong with you."

A spar session had left both friends winded, gasping to catch their breaths as they laid on the floor of the training grounds where they had trained as a team many times. Throughout the spar, Naruto had noticed his friends anger and frustration, more and more evident with each blow he landed. He hadn't seen his friend that animated since their last actual fight after the war, and it worried him.

For the life of him, Naruto couldn't think of one reason for his friend acting the way he was. Everything was going great, the village saw them both as heroes, choosing to forget his friend's defection in favor of recognizing his efforts against not only Madara Uchiha, the founder of his clan, but the alien goddess Kaguya. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened that he knew of to upset the Uchiha. His friend scoffed, clearly indicating his refusal to touch on the topic, but Naruto wasn't known to back down, so he persisted.

"If you don't tell me we'll just have to continue trading blows until I know what's bothering you," the blonde exclaimed, quickly getting on his feet and dusting his pants off, "I still have loads of chakra left!"

Sasuke sat up, and Naruto could see his only visible eye roll in annoyance. "I've got no chakra left."

The blonde sat back down, ready to hear his friend out, something he couldn't do when they were younger due to his ambitious goal of revenge, something that kept him closed off from the rest of his team. The sound of Sasuke's grunt of annoyance brought his attention back to the future, and he couldn't help but notice the far away look his friend had as he eyed the forest behind him, choosing not to hold eye contact while he spoke.

"Sakura is angry at me. She's been angry at me for a long time and I don't know how to fix it or if I can."

Although he kept a blank face, Naruto could see the slight bit of hurt in his eye, and it was obvious it was taking a lot of effort for him to keep his emotions in check. He didn't know how to respond. While he had tried to feign ignorance, Naruto knew something was different the first night they had a meal as a whole team again. Before that even, when they fought side by side, he had noticed the way Sakura seemed to fight side by side with their sensei and him, seemingly leaving Sasuke as an afterthought. Hell, the kunoichi had tried to kill the Uchiha, something that would've ended the other way around had he not showed up in time with Kakashi.

He knew when things had changed, but he had chosen not to touch the topic, scared to break the only thread holding them together, and while he felt bad for Sasuke, he was surprised it had taken him that long to realize something was wrong.

"You know, I don't think you ever apologized to her." It seemed like a simple enough answer, but it was something he knew Sasuke would be prone to overlook.

"I don't think a simple _'I'm sorry, Sakura' _will suffice this time, Naruto. Out of all the people I hurt during my quest for revenge, she's the one I hurt the most." His sincerity took him by surprise, but he brushed it off, intent on helping his teammates make up. He didn't want to see his family fall apart, what kind of person with the aspiration to become Hokage would allow that?

"Fight her." He replied. His friends head shot up, a bewildered look betraying his face, and replacing the usual blank façade. Before he could retort, Naruto held his hand up, a silent cue to show he wasn't done. "The same way we do. Go all out and let her do the same. I'm sure you'll come to an agreement."

He could see the realization on his Sasuke's face, quietly pondering if the idea could work. The blonde stood up before he could answer, a look of determination on his face.

"It'll work Sasuke. If it worked for us, it'll work for the two of you." With that, he left the Uchiha and made his way to his favorite ramen shop, speeding up to meet the shy Hyuga heiress waiting on him.

* * *

**...**

I have 5 follows on this story, and it's not a lot but I'm super excited! Also thank you, **_Thefiskers_**, for your review! It made me so happy to know someone is enjoying my story! In this story, Kakashi lost his first kiss to Rin, and the way I picture it is that she basically tried to get over her mourning for Obito by trying to get under Kakashi, which didn't work for her. Even though canon hints at Rin having a crush on Kakashi, she has a crush on Obito in this story. As for Kakashi having his last kiss _**AND**_ his first time the day after Rin died, people process pain in different ways and Kakashi found a way, which left him feeling disgusted with himself. I don't want to bash Sasuke like most stories do, so I'm trying to find a silver lining for him. It's hard to write him, considering all he's been through and all he's done, but I like him a lot better from Naruto's perspective! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Let me know how you feel about my small KakaSaku scene :)

P.S.

Senbei are a type of Japanese cracker, they can be savory or sweet (I've only ever had the sweet kind so that's what I pictured them having with their tea!).


	5. The Worst

It was the second day of her week-long vacation and Sakura was elated. Kakashi had not only acknowledged her feelings, but reciprocated them as well, and she couldn't wipe the goofy smile that had etched itself on her face after they shared their first kiss the day before.

_First kiss. _She brought her fingers to her lips, tracing over them as if the motion would bring back the warmth that Kakashi's lips had brought her. He was _so _warm, like a fire in the middle of winter, and she wanted to be engulfed in it. It was the closest she had felt to heaven, and all they had done was _kiss_! She quickly shook her head, blushing at the way she was easily distracted and proceeded to her current task at hand. Shopping.

With her time being spent at the hospital, managing every micro detail to make sure everything was running as smooth as it could, Sakura hadn't really had a chance to frequent the shops that were scattered along the villages main street, and she was amazed at how much had changed after the war. She had even found a shop that carried items she'd have to travel to other villages for! Her arms were loaded with bags full of trinkets and essentials, and the scent of freshly made _dango_ led her to the renovated and expanded _Dango-ya. _

She was instantly greeted as she entered and was handed a neat looking laminated menu. She ordered her usual green tea and asked for a second to look over the also renovated menu and the waitress happily obliged, skirting her way through the tables to grab her tea. In less than five minutes, the waitress was back with her green tea, and a bowl of _anmitsu_ that she was sure she hadn't ordered yet.

"It's from the handsome man two booths behind you," the waitress explained, giving her a friendly wink. "Did you still need some time?" Sakura shook her head, and asked for her check, waiting for the waitress to saunter off to the back before pulling out a compact mirror from her messenger bag, intent on not showing the mysterious man that she was curious, and when saw one lone dark eye staring back, her grip on the mirror tightened, creating small cracks on its plastic cover.

Before she could put her mirror up and pay for her treats, Sasuke was across from her, looking at her in a way that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and she couldn't place whether the feeling was from hate or disgust. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

The tone of his words and the look of genuine remorse on his elegant features did little to quell the anger she felt rising in the pits of her stomach. The waitress returned with her check, completely oblivious to the tension between the two, and Sakura shoved a mouthful of_ anmitsu_ into her mouth to keep from letting her anger surface before her, but before she could take the check, Sasuke did.

"I've got it," he murmured, skimming over the check before handing the waitress a couple of bills from his pocket. The waitress smiled and nodded, taking the money and bowing to them, thanking them for their patronage and walking off.

"I could kill you right now," she seethed. "You think buying me a bowl of damn _anmitsu_ makes up for every shitty thong you've done? You've got to be fucking kidding me Sasuke." She could feel her blood boiling, something only he could bring out in her, and she hated that he still had some type of control over her, even if it was just causing her anger to get the best of her.

"Fight me, then." His response was something she hadn't expected, and she narrowed her eyes at him, searching for a sign to let her know that he didn't mean it the way she took it, but she couldn't find one. He was serious, as serious as he had been when he left the village all those years ago, and she found herself feeling excitement at the prospect of finally letting out all the rage she had towards him. She nodded her head, a glimmer of unnerving elation in her eyes.

"Let's go then, third training ground two hours from now," she replied as she stood up and picked up her bags. "Oh, and I'd be sure to take me seriously if I were you." And with that, Sakura took off, headed to her house to put her purchases away and get ready for the fight.

* * *

**...**

"That went well… I think," Sasuke looked up and was met by Naruto joining him at the table Sakura had left him at, her barely touched _anmitsu_ and completely untouched tea still at the table. "I'm pretty sure she's gonna kill you. Or at least try to," the blonde added as he took a spoon and began to finish off the _anmitsu. _Sasuke knew he was right, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to go all out on Sakura for a second, before quickly dismissing the thought. As much as he hated to admit it, Kakashi had been right when he said he was underestimating her, he'd really have to show her he was serious and hope that Naruto's plan worked before things got too ugly.

"It was _your _idea, Naruto." The blonde smiled sheepishly in between spoonsful of the sweet treat, and he couldn't help the grin that set itself on his face. It was an insane idea, but it had to work. He didn't want to think of what would happen if it didn't, Sasuke had lost enough in his twenty years of life, and he didn't want to add the kunoichi's friendship to the list. He didn't deserve to have her in his life, but as much as he hated to admit it, he needed her to be in it.

"I didn't want to ask," Naruto's voice brought him out of his internal thoughts, and he instantly noticed the serious look on the usually goofy Jinchuriki. "but it seems like there's something else you want from Sakura aside from her forgiveness."

Sasuke kept quiet. He had had his whole life planned out the moment he had walked out of the village gates seven years ago. It had all seemed so simple back then; train with Orochimaru, kill Orochimaru, kill Itachi, & return to Konoha. Return to Sakura. His whole plan had been useless once he learned of what really happened when Itachi murdered everyone in their clan except for him. Things hadn't been so simple then. Everything had changed, it was all been too much to process.

He had stopped caring at that point, the hatred he grew for Konoha had surpassed the hatred he once had for his brother. Until the Fourth Shinobi War, where he got a chance to speak to Itachi and the reanimated Hokages. Even that hadn't completely swayed him, it took his near-death experience with Naruto to completely make him realize his resolve wasn't as strong as Naruto's.

"Before you go out there and trade blows with her, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish?" The blondes question hung heavy in the air, and Sasuke found himself unable to answer. He knew that more than her forgiveness, he wanted her to feel for him what she once felt for him, what she now felt for Kakashi, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it, for somehow it felt like if he said it aloud it would never come to be. Sasuke was sure the chances of her being his were slim to none, so he blew off the question with a scoff.

"I'm not sure what you think you know, but all I want is for our team to be what it once was, and I want Sakura to be happy." The lie was evident, and he found himself relieved when Naruto decided not to push it.

"She is happy, y'know." Sasuke hadn't expected that reply, but he kept his face blank. "Sakura-chan thinks I haven't noticed, but I see the way she looks at Kakashi-sensei, but the weird part about it, is that I see the way he looks at her too." The last part undid his façade, and he couldn't help the question that slipped past his lips.

"The way he looks at her?" He repeated questioningly. While he himself had noticed how the kunoichi fawned after the former copy-nin, he had never paid attention to the way the latter reacted, or if he even did. Naruto nodded, with a soft look spreading over his features.

"He looks at her like she has an entire world inside of her that only he knows about." The statement felt like a punch, knocking the breath out of his chest. All he had was questions, so many of them that he wanted to ask her, so many that he wanted to demand from Kakashi. But mostly her.

"How," he murmured, a bit of anger making its way into the words, "how did they end up looking at each other the way she looked at me once?" He felt the shame hit him as soon as he finished the question, shame at asking such a personal question that he had no right to know the answer to.

"It's not for us to question, Sasuke. It's something that they both understand, and in a sense, I think that's all that matters. She's happy, the happiest I've seen her in years, and that says a lot. Kakashi-sensei…he doesn't have an empty look to him anymore." Part of him understood, but the other part refused to come to terms with it. It was selfish of him, he _knew _that, but he couldn't keep the feeling from rearing its head, so he stood up, ready to end the conversation.

"I've got to go meet her; I don't want to keep her waiting." He still had an hour left, but he couldn't spend any more time having that conversation, it was chipping away at him. Naruto nodded, understanding written on his face.

* * *

**...**

"I smell miso soup with grilled eggplant, Shikamaru. I'm going crazy from starvation; how could you do this to your poor old Hokage?" Kakashi could see the vein on his advisers forehead throb from annoyance, and he felt a tad bit guilty, but he really could smell the meal. And it was getting closer, mixed in with…mint…and rain forest. When the door to his office finally opened and revealed the pink haired woman who had kissed him holding a bag of takeout from his favorite food establishment, he shot the Nara a pointed look.

"Did I interrupt something?" she asked, humor in her tone, and for a second, he wished he still had Obito's Sharingan to memorize the way she looked in that moment, like an angel sent straight from heaven to personally deliver him his favorite meal.

"Aside from Lord Sixth being a pain in the ass, not much. I'll give you an hour to enjoy your lunch, try not to run off again or I'll be forced to accompany you during all your lunch breaks." He pouted at him from underneath his mask, and when Shikamaru left, he brought his attention back to the pink haired kunoichi. She quickly made her way to his desk, a blush sprinkled over her cheeks, and placed the bag on his desk as she took a seat across from him.

"For someone who scolded me about my goodbyes, you sure don't know how to give a proper _hello_." Before she could counter with a witty remark, he had made his way around the desk and leaned down to press his unmasked lips to hers. She placed her palm on his cheek and returned the kiss with such fervor that he felt his resolve to take things slow slowly crumbling, but he pulled back before it did, leaving a chaste kiss on the corner of her mouth. She huffed, but the blush that had been on her cheeks when she had made her way towards him betrayed the act of indignation.

"I did go out of my way to get you lunch," she replied as she rolled her green eyes playfully. "I just wanted to stop by to see what the consequences for murdering Sasuke would be." He stopped the process of opening the miso container before letting out a sigh. Kakashi had thought that his short yet to the point talk with Sasuke would have helped matters a bit, but apparently, he was wrong.

"Is he still on about us? I thought maybe I had gotten across to him." He brought a piece of eggplant to his mouth, savoring the taste that he had missed out on thanks to the Uchiha's interruption the day before. The look Sakura had on her face made him realize he had said something that she didn't know until then, and he quickly swallowed.

"He came to you?" The hostility in her voice was enough to make him wish he hadn't said anything. He had been sure Sasuke had told her, otherwise he wouldn't have because he knew it would fuel the fire that was her anger.

"In a sense," he tried to backtrack. "He was just worried about you, but I told him you're old enough to make your own decisions." The tenseness of her features seemed to ease, and he let out a breath he hadn't noticed he was holding, before he continued eating. When she finally spoke, he understood why her demeanor changed.

"He asked me to fight him. Spar. I'm going to kill him, or at least try to." There was nothing he could say to her at that moment, and he was slightly disappointed. She was starting to sound like Sasuke, and he hoped it wasn't as serious as she made it seem. He couldn't imagine losing her to a senseless need for revenge. Yes, Sasuke had almost killed her, but he hadn't, and while Kakashi himself hadn't completely forgiven him the way Naruto had, he had decided to look past it. Eventually, he knew he would.

"Do me a favor and try not to, I can't necessarily speak much on it, but I've been looking at a mission I might have to send him on. It's something I can trust only him to do," he saw the hurt in her eyes, but he continued. "I'm not defending him, and I'm not asking you to forgive him…just, he's been looking for some sort of redemption, and this mission is the perfect fit for him. It's for the sake keeping the peace in Konoha."

He knew he hadn't completely gotten to her, but Sakura knew they had all lost something in the last war and keeping Konoha at peace was more important than anything else. She nodded her head, a look of slight guilt in her eyes, and he felt relief at the fact that she wasn't completely engulfed in having her revenge the way Sasuke had been.

"Fine, I'll just beat him short of killing him." She reminded him of the Godaime, enough to scare him, and he let out a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. He couldn't imagine being in her bad graces, and he hoped to never find out, a task that didn't seem so hard when she smiled at him the way she was at that moment. "Eat your food, it's gonna get cold and then I'll be upset that my trip was wasted."

"I guess my kiss wasn't enough to make it worth the while," he pouted, and she threw her head back as she let out a laugh, pink tresses framing her face beautifully. She had let her hair grow again, finally convinced that she was strong enough to afford being vain, and he was glad for it, it suited her angelic appearance.

"I've got to go, I have an Uchiha to beat to a pulp," she remarked, as she jumped over the desk with enough grace to leave the miso motionless. She tugged his mask down, hastily pressing her mouth to his, and he felt a bit of embarrassment at the fact that his mouth probably had the taste of miso and eggplant, but she didn't seem to mind as she deepened the kiss. When they broke the kiss, out of need for air mostly, she smiled at him brightly, and he felt his chest contract. "Do you mind if I pop up at your place tonight?" she asked, and as always, the blush on her cheeks betrayed the calm of her words.

"You're welcome over anytime, Sakura." He replied, and she nodded her head joyously, a silent agreement to stop by before dashing out of the window behind him. He was about to plop another piece of eggplant into his mouth before his adviser walked in the room, a red scroll in hand.

"This is gonna be a drag, but you're gonna have to work while you eat."

* * *

**...**

Thank you so much for your reviews! You can't even imagine how incredibly happy I get reading them 😊 **Dobbyhasnomastr**, he will get an ass-whooping, lol not in this chapter but definitely the next, he has it coming for sure. **KazeNoBara**, I try to update as often as I can, as soon as I get the script flowing in my head, I take my laptop out and get to working lol I hope you enjoy this chapter, greetings from Texas! And lastly, to the Guest review who said they would've fallen in love with Kakashi during the fourth shinobi war, who wouldn't?! He was so serious and gorgeous, but I decided to have her start from when he saved her, something about it just seemed like a good start to her feelings toward Kakashi, and definitely a good end to her feelings toward Sasuke…if they even did end…keep reading to find out! Ha-ha! Feel free to leave suggestions or criticism guys, it helps me with my writing and encourages me to continue!

P.S.

_Dango_ is a Japanese sweet dumpling made from rice flour, there are different types, like _Anko dango_, one of Sakura's favorite foods, which is typically made with sweet red bean paste inside and _Mitarashi dango_, which are covered with a syrup made from soy sauce, sugar and starch (I've had both and while I love them both, I definitely favor _Mitarashi dango_!)

_Dango-ya _which means 'dango shop', is the actual name of the dango shop where Kakashi was supposed to meet with Sasuke in Naruto, the same one Itachi and Kisame visited after the Third Hokage's death.

_Anmitsu _is another one of Sakura's favorites, is a Japanese dessert, and while it can be made in many ways, it typically consists of small cubes of agar-agar served with freshly cut fruit, sweet red bean paste and black sugar syrup.


	6. Triggered

Containing her excitement was the most difficult thing Sakura had ever done. She had resigned herself to the idea that she was going to spend the rest of her life acting as if everything was fine between her and Sasuke for the sake of a team that she was no longer sure even existed. It had made her skin crawl with anxiety on so many occasions, between their group sparring sessions, assigned missions, and team lunch dates, it had all been so hard to persevere with. But she owed Naruto too much to complain, it was all for him, she had told herself. Finally, she had her chance to make Sasuke feel an inch of the pain he had made her feel. Sure, she would've preferred being able to kill him, but beating him to a pulp would have to do.

When Sakura reached the training grounds where she was to spar with Sasuke, she felt ecstatic. Adrenaline rushed through her veins at the thought of finally letting all her pent-up frustrations out on the stoic Uchiha, and when she spotted him leaning against a tree with a lackluster look on his face, the feeling doubled. He had sensed her arrival; she noticed, as he straightened himself off the tree he had previously been leaning up on and made his way towards her, his Rinnegan visible to her through black tresses of soft looking hair. _'Soft?' _she mentally chastised herself. There was nothing soft about him, there hadn't been since he left them. His smooth voice brought her back from her thoughts.

"I won't use my dojutsu if you forego the monstrous strength." She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, and he looked at her with a quizzical look on his face, clearly not understanding what had been so comical about his words, so she shook her head.

"Scared of a few punches_, Sasuke-kun_?" Sakura asked, sarcasm dripping over the way she said his name. She knew it would be a tough battle, going against a Sharingan and a Rinnegan, but it wasn't enough to sway her into agreeing to his terms. She'd be satisfied enough by landing a few good chakra enhanced hits on his unblemished face. He didn't answer, and it was obvious to her he was being careful with his words, trying not to upset her any further. Just as she was about to berate him, he shook his head no.

"If going all out is what you want, then so be it."

Sasuke raised his hand up quickly, but she was faster. Before he had the chance to activate his Sharingan and move his hair away from the Rinnegan, she was gone, leaving behind a murder of crows. She could see the look of pure shock on his face from her perch among the foliage of trees, and a small part of her felt a tiny bit of guilt for even learning the jutsu, but she brushed it off. If she wanted him to take her seriously, she'd have to play dirty, and learning one of Itachi's jutsu was a good start. As, the crows flocked around him, she quickly performed the seals for the crow clone technique, another jutsu stolen from the diseased Uchiha.

Sasuke recovered from the shock quickly, and she was disappointed to see that he didn't have an ounce of anger on his face. She had expected him to feel aggravated towards her for learning his brother's signature jutsu, but the look on his face made her lose concentration for a second. Sasuke looked amused. And not in a bad way, like when the reformed team 7 first saw him after three years, but in a good way that reminded her of the way he had looked at her when they had been nothing but dumb careless genin. She tried to gather her concentration once again, but she was too late, Sasuke had found her and she missed his katon by a millisecond, she could tell by the smell of her singed hair from where the heat had burnt a few stray strands.

"I know you probably did it for other reasons, but it makes me glad to see someone is still using brothers jutsu," the Uchiha walked towards her, and she quickly lunged, heart beating wildly in her chest. He was going along with some sort of mind games, and it pissed her off even more. He was talking to her with an aura of sincerity, but Sakura knew better, he had tricked her one too many times, and she threw a punch at him, then a second, until they turned into a barrage, all of which he was avidly dodging. Her anger was making her reckless, she knew it, but she couldn't control it. She threw one last punch, but instead of dodging it he grabbed her arm, squeezing hard enough for the clone to disappear in a murder of crows. "or should I say jutsus? You don't cease to amaze me, Sakura."

He was really messing with her; she was convinced of it now. Sasuke had only ever seen her as a weak crutch on him and Naruto's back, his words were out of character. Sakura lunged at him from below, an old move she had copied from Kakashi, and she had anticipated him to dodge, but when her fist made contact with his jaw, she quickly pulled back, as if the skin on his cheek had scorched her fist. He let her hit him. Sasuke could've dodged, she had expected him to, her punch was supposed to create distance between the two.

"What the hell, Sasuke?! You could've dodged that!" She exclaimed, anger visible through her emerald eyes. Sasuke looked up at her from the spot he had landed on a few feet away from her, and she could see the bruise begin to form on his cheek. She had marked his face, but the joy she had expected to experience was nowhere to be found.

"I could have," he replied as he wiped off the blood that had slipped past his lips and down his chin. "But I don't feel like playing cat and mouse. You want to hurt me, that much I can tell. So do it." He casually stood up and made his way towards her with determined steps.

Sakura could feel her skin prickling the closer he got to her, anxiety starting to flare up, but before it consumed her, she shoved it down and let her anger out. The moment he took his last step and stood face to face with her, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed her free fist into his face. The skin to skin contact made her flinch, but she repeated her actions and slammed her fist into his face again. By the third hit, the look of his bruised and bloodied face and the unspoken apology leaking out of him had been too much for her.

"I can't stand you, Sasuke Uchiha!" Sakura spat out through heavy sobs. "I wish I could kill you, but even if I had the chance to, I don't think I could bring myself to do it!" She let go of his collar and he fell to the floor, chakra enhanced punches having had been too much for the Uchiha to take. She fell on her knees on the ground beside him and watched with teary eyes as he spat out blood and coughed up some more. Her guilt was eating at her immensely and she didn't know why, which made the tears fall at a faster pace.

"Sakura, I'm sorry." She looked up at him, and the sight that met her eyes knocked the breath out of her chest.

Sasuke Uchiha had tears in his eyes.

**...**

* * *

Sasuke had felt every feeling Sakura had bottled up since the moment he walked out of Konoha. The pain, suffering, resentment, hate, he could feel everything through every punch he received from the medic. It was ten times worse than what he had felt when he fought Naruto after the war, and half of him was angry at himself for everything he made them go through, but the other half was confused.

"Sakura, I'm sorry." He could feel the warm tears pouring out of his eyes, but he was too occupied with the weight of the unspoken feelings that Sakura harbored to feel any amount of embarrassment. "I'm sorry for everything I did."

The sight of the pink haired kunoichi bawling her eyes out made his heart clench, and he felt even more confusion at the feeling. He had seen her cry many times before, some due to his own actions or words, but he had never felt anything. He had been too busy engrossed in his goal of revenge to care about anything but his quest to power, and now that that chapter of his life was over, it was as if the curtain that his heart hid behind had been drawn back.

"You can't do that you know," Sakura uttered between sobs, "Sasuke, you can't take a few punches, apologize, and expect me to forgive you." He didn't know what to say. There was actually nothing he could say, really, Sasuke knew it. He had caused too much damage, broken all the bridges between himself and Sakura. He had no right to come back and fall in love with her, expecting everything to be okay.

_Fall in love with her. _The thought crossed his mind again, and he couldn't help the chuckle it caused. Life loved playing cruel jokes on him it seemed, first with his brother, and then with Sakura. He had ignored her when she loved him and loved her now that she had gotten over him. The pink haired kunoichi looked at him, a frown etched on her face.

"Why are you laughing?" Her words were soft spoken, and he was surprised at the lack of poison they usually carried. He looked up, and he could see the confusion on her features. Her eyes were brighter than usual, glossed over with tears that were threatening to spill and join the trail that had been previously shed, and her lips looked soft and full, the way they were turned into a small pout. Sakura was mesmerizing, and it made his heart sink knowing he took too long to come to his senses. He couldn't stop himself, and before his mind could process what he was about to do, he took her face in his hands and pressed his mouth to hers.

Sakura gasped, and he took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, letting his tongue slip between her parted lips. His mind felt foggy, intoxicated by the taste of cherry and peppermint and the feel of her soft mouth, but he was quickly brought out of the haze when she shoved him off, a look of shock on her face.

"Why would you do that?" she asked softly, hands reaching to his face. For a moment, he thought she was going to strike him for his actions, but she placed her hands on his face, and he could feel the warm chakra working on the damage she had caused. He didn't know how to answer her, and when she removed her hands from his face, he noticed new tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he murmured. She nodded her head, and he couldn't help but felt disappointed to know she agreed. "Thank you for healing me, but you shouldn't have, not after all I've done and keep doing to you."

"I love Kakashi." She sounded sure of her words, but he wasn't sure whether she had said it in order to convince him or convince herself, so he nodded. "I forgive you. But I won't ever forget everything. Just promise me something, Sasuke." Sakura stood up from where she had been standing and turned, ready to walk away from the situation altogether.

"Promise me you won't ever do that again." A part of him wanted to protest, argue with her that she had felt the same way he had felt during that kiss, but he knew it would be futile, and he didn't want to ruin the chance at peace she was offering.

"I promise." Sakura left the moment he gave his word, and he was left alone to process everything that had just occurred.

**...**

* * *

Kakashi hadn't meant to snoop in on the moment. He had convinced himself that he had just wanted to make sure things didn't get too out of hand, but he knew that wasn't the case. No matter how many times Sakura had claimed she hated Sasuke, deep inside he felt she wasn't sure of that herself, but he had agreed with her, and had let her believe that he was convinced of it just as much as she seemed to be, and when he witnessed the intimate moment between the two, he couldn't bring himself to feel angry or upset.

It was something that he should've seen really, and he felt disappointed at himself for allowing anything to happen between himself and Sakura. He had intervened in something that was always supposed to happen between his former students, so convinced he had been that Sakura felt nothing towards Sasuke, but he wasn't so sure of it after that. No matter what she said, there was obviously something still there, and he didn't feel like competing with the last Uchiha.

Just as stealthily as he had sneaked out of the Hokage tower, he sneaked back in, three seconds before Shikamaru opened the door to his office, a stack of new paperwork in his arms. "Don't think I didn't notice."

"Sorry Shikamaru, I just needed a breath of air, it gets a bit too stuffy in here sometimes." His adviser nodded his head, as he set the paperwork in front of him. Kakashi picked up a pen, but before he could start looking over the work, Shikamaru took a seat.

"It doesn't take a genius to tell something is bothering you." His words were sincere, missing any trace of the usual tired essence that was typical for him in scenarios that he deemed bothersome. "Is it Sakura?" The suggestion took him by surprise and Shikamaru chuckled.

"Also doesn't take a genius to see the shift in the dynamic between you two." Kakashi had never been one to be so open with personal things but hiding things from his adviser wasn't an easy feat, something he had already proved by his statements, so he decided to get geniuses' insight.

"We finally decided to take a step towards something past friendship, but I'm not sure she's entirely on the same page as I am and asking her will make her feel like I'm doubting her feelings." _Which I am, _he wanted to add, but refrained from. Shikamaru was silent for a second, and he could picture the wheels turning in his mind as he came up with an answer.

"Something happened with Sasuke." He wasn't sure what gave it away, but everyone knew how the kunoichi had felt towards Sasuke during their childhood, so he attributed it to that, so he nodded his head.

"She beat him to a pulp. He kissed her. She healed him and left," He paused, before adding context for the genius to work with. "He kissed her, and she pushed him away, but she seemed confused." The insight seemed to help Shikamaru reach a decision, for he instantly answered without much thought into what he had just said.

"I don't think that necessarily means she's confused about her feelings for Sasuke, and you shouldn't doubt her. If she mentions it, it's a good thing, and you should take it as confirmation that her feelings are set in stone, however, if she hides it from you, then it means your suspicion is right." His words made Kakashi feel better about things. Sakura never hid anything from him, and he began to feel foolish for even doubting her.

"Thank you, Shikamaru. Sorry to give you even more troublesome things to help me work through." The Nara shook his head and grinned.

"Don't mention it, I'm sure Naruto will give me even more troublesome work when he takes up the Hokage mantle." Kakashi chuckled, as the thought of the desk before him riddled with empty ramen cups and a frantic Shikamaru trying to work with Naruto crossed his mind.

"Yeah, you're right about that."

* * *

**...**

Sorry for the delay, I just started biology in my Vet Tech studies and I hate it so it's been hard to get writing done around trying to study my lessons. Also, I absolutely love the**_ SasuSaku_** scene, but don't worry! This is still a_** KakaSaku**_ story! I just wanted to add a bit of drama in the mix, ha-ha! I couldn't really write out the Kakashi and Shikamaru scene as well as I wanted to, but I hope it's not that bad. Let me know what you think should happen in the next chapter, will Sakura tell Kakashi what happened? Or will she keep it hidden? *intense music* Until next time!


	7. Bed Peace

**Heads up! I changed the rating to M due to this chapter!**

* * *

**...**

Sakura had expected some sort of closure out of her spar with Sasuke, but what she had ended up with had been the complete opposite. He had kissed her, out of all the things that he could've done, he had chosen the one thing she had least expected, and what bothered her the most was that she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She loved Kakashi, that she was sure of, but the kiss had tapped into feelings she had long thought forgotten towards the dark haired Uchiha. They weren't nearly as strong as her feelings for Kakashi, but the fact that they even existed made her feel guilty. Had the hate she felt for Sasuke only covered up her love for him like a lid on a jar?

She solemnly made her way towards the Yamanaka flower shop, hoping that her best friend would be there to help her figure out the mess inside her head, and when she reached her destination, she was glad to see the blonde at the counter, touching up a bouquet of white lilies. The chime of the door alerted her friend to her presence, and as soon as Ino took a look at her she spoke.

"What's with the gloomy look?" Sakura made her way behind the counter and sat down on the stool adjacent to her friends. Tears started forming in her eyes, and she was _tired _of crying, but she couldn't help it when she recalled the kiss Sasuke had planted on her.

"Sasuke asked me to spar. I agreed thinking I'd beat the crap out of him and feel better about everything he's done, but he ended up letting me use him as a punching bag and then to top it off, he _kissed me_ Ino." A lily snapped off of its stem and the blonde looked at her with a shocked expression on her features.

"Are you serious?! What the hell is his deal?" Ino quickly stopped fidgeting with the bouquet and handed her a tissue, before taking a seat on the unoccupied stool besides her. Sakura accepted it, wiping the tears from her eyes before responding.

"I have no clue, Pig. I wanted closure but that's not what I got." The last words came out with a soft sob, and her best friend immediately stood up and wrapped her arms around her, rubbing the small of her back in comforting circles.

"How do you feel Sakura?" Ino asked in a hushed tone that made her feel a bit calmer than she had been feeling when she first walked into the flower shop. For a second, she wasn't sure how to reply. Sakura wasn't even sure how exactly she felt about it. The whole occurrence had come out of nowhere and it blanked her mind like an eraser to a chalkboard. It was hard to pinpoint her emotions, but she took a few deep breaths and waited for the tears to slow down before finally answering.

"I feel confused, but most of all I feel guilty. I feel like I did something behind Kakashi's back because part of me felt something familiar when Sasuke kissed me." Ino pulled away a bit, before taking a seat where she had previously sat, with a small smile on her features.

"Forehead, the confusion is to be expected, I don't even fully believe Sasuke expected that himself. As for the guilt, that's to be expected, I think I'd feel the same way if I were to be put in that scenario." Sakura nodded, feeling a bit better about the situation, and for a second she felt stupid for even letting a stupid kiss from her childhood crush jumble up her mind, as if she hadn't grown out of the young naïve girl she had once been. She was starting to come to her senses with the help of Ino, so she nodded her head, urging her friend to continue.

"The familiarity…it's Sasuke, someone you we're in love with for years. Of course it's gonna feel familiar, like that time I tried to put the moves on Shikamaru because I thought I was in love with him but then it was just awkward…" Ino laughed when she recalled what had happened with her teammate, and Sakura couldn't help but join in when she remembered just how mortified her best friend had been afterwards. The embarrassed look on her face was quickly replaced with a slightly more serious one. "Are you going to tell Kakashi?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed. That had been the first thing she had thought of when she shoved Sasuke off of her, and thinking of how he'd react when she finally told him made her feel anxious. Would he be upset at her for letting it happen even though she hadn't been expecting it? Would he break off their brand-new relationship, convinced that she wasn't sure about her feelings? Or would he be understanding, comforting her over the way she mentally reprimanded herself, too consumed by guilt that shouldn't have even existed?

"Then there's really nothing to worry about Sakura," her friend reassured her. "Kakashi will no doubt understand that his former protégé is an idiot and that you're 100% sure about the way you feel towards him." Ino's words made her head stop turning and let her see what had been in front of her the whole time. Not once had she doubted her feelings for her silver haired lover, and the realization made her want to slap herself for not seeing it sooner.

"Ino, what would I do without you as my voice of reason?!" She quickly remarked, taking the blonde into a tight embrace before rushing out of the shop.

"TAKE A SHOWER BEFORE YOU GO TO HIM FOREHEAD, YOU SMELL!"

* * *

**...**

Instead of taking her friends advice, Sakura headed over to the still open market for some ingredients to make dinner for Kakashi. As always, a conversation with Ino had been the only thing she had needed to calm down after the situation with Sasuke, and for a second she wondered if it had to do with the fact that her friend was a Yamanaka. The blonde would make a great therapist if she ever decided the shinobi life and the flower shop weren't enough for her.

"Saury? Cooking for Kakashi-senpai?" Yamato's voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she smiled at the man as she rubbed the back of her head absentmindedly.

"Good guess, Yamato-taichou. How'd you know?" She already knew the answer, having heard it from Kakashi himself a while back, but she liked hearing others talk about him, an odd quirk. Her former squad leader smiled back at her, before placing the small packet of fresh salmon in his basket. The sight of him doing something as trivial as grocery shopping was slightly humorous, and she had to bite her inner cheek to stop from laughing and looking rude.

"We used to be in the same ANBU squad. Most nights where we had to make camp, we'd always have grilled saury. No one had an option since he was squad leader." He visibly shuddered, and she let out the laugh she had been holding in.

"Yep, sounds like Kakashi." She chuckled, and she quickly realized how she had dropped the _sensei_, something she had so far only done with Sasuke and Ino, since she still hadn't talked to Kakashi about how they wanted to handle people knowing about their level of closeness. The way the wood style user quirked an eyebrow let her know that he hadn't missed the dropped honorific, and a blush quickly spread over her nose and across her cheeks.

"I'm glad he's letting someone in, especially knowing it's you. I was afraid he'd keep to himself for the rest of his life. Kakashi-senpai has been through a lot." The recognition made her aver her eyes to the ground, too embarrassed of how hot her face felt, but she was glad he felt that way. Yamato was one of the only people aside from herself and Gai to be close to Kakashi, and having his approval meant a lot to her.

"Thank you, Yamato-taichou." She knew he'd know she was thanking him for his nod of approval without much context, and he nodded his head in understanding. He looked relieved, and she understood why. It was hard for anyone to get close to her former sensei, and even without that, not a lot of people were keen to even want to try, but she had done it and fallen in love in the process. It was something not even she had seen coming, and she wasn't sure when it happened really, somewhere within soft spoken words about his past, the father he lost, the friends he made along the way and how he lost them too.

"Make sure you take some sake too, I'm sure the whole Hokage thing is wearing him down a lot, see you later Sakura-chan!" With that, Yamato, made his way to the register to pay for his groceries, and she made her way to the alcohol section. A little booze would be a good way to ease any tension, she thought to herself, before dropping a bottle of shochu in her basket. Being Tsunade's apprentice had bored her taste buds out of sake.

* * *

**...**

Kakashi was exhausted. Surprisingly enough, it hadn't been such a bad day at the office, but he still felt completely worn out. Shikamaru had even allowed him an early leave, something he never usually did, but he was sure that had been due to the conversation he had with him concerning Sakura. His exhaustion had nothing to do with her, he was sure of it. The kiss had annoyed him, of course, as it would annoy anyone else who would ever have to witness someone younger than them plant a kiss on their lover, but the exhaustion he was sure was caused by his age. It was catching up to him, and he had rejected many massage offerings from his medic as he was too nervous of how his body would react to her nimble hands on his skin. Just the thought made his member react with a twitch, and he quickly shook his head, urging his mind to stop with the lustful thoughts.

As he made his way to the kitchen to put on a kettle for tea, he was quickly reminded of how big the Hokage residence was, and how empty it felt. Being alone had never bothered him in his small apartment, even on the nights he would wake up to nightmares of his fist through Rin's chest, but it felt slightly suffocating just how empty the large space felt. He didn't get any more time to reflect on it, for as soon as he turned the knob on the gas stove, a familiar soft knock on his door brought him out of his brooding.

When he opened the door, the sight that met his eyes made his mood shift instantly. There before him stood his pink haired medic, still disheveled from her spar with Sasuke, holding a grocery bag in each arm with a small smile on her full lips.

"I thought, you'd enjoy some saury and vegetables tonight." He quickly moved over, allowing her to enter the large residence, and she made her way towards the kitchen in a way that made him feel that she belonged in the house more than he did. She set the things down before walking towards him and pulling his mask down and hastily pressing her lips to his. The kiss was different than the last two, even better if it was even possible. He could feel just how much the love she felt for him radiated off of her, and it made all of his exhaustion fade away, as if every nerve ending in his body was being numbed by the essence that was Sakura. He gripped her by her hips, bringing her as close to him as possible, and he could smell her sweat mixed with earth and her shampoo, and it was completely overpowering his senses. He wanted more, and when she moaned into his mouth, he could feel the way his member reacted, pressing itself towards the inside of her thigh.

"I don't think I want to take this slow; I've waited too long already." She murmured between well places kisses along his jawline and neck, and it was getting harder for him to hold back, especially when she nipped at the juncture between his neck and his shoulder. He quickly lifted her up on the kitchen counter, and she gasped at the action that she hadn't been expecting.

He could smell her arousal, and it was taking him every bit of self-control not to take her then and there, so he decided on giving her a small taste of what he wanted to do to her. In that moment, he didn't care about Sasuke and what had happened in the training field. The way she was panting and reacting to his actions were enough to let him know the woman before him wanted him and him only.

Sakura knew where he was headed, for she hastily kicked off her shoes and discarded her thigh holster, leaving only her knee protectors and shorts on. He quickly discarder the knee pads, and when he slipped his fingers into the hem of her shorts, she let out a shaky breath. He was _barely _touching her, and her reactions were that responsive, and it made him even more aroused to know how much he could turn her on. He slowly slid the shorts off of her smooth legs, and when they dropped to the floor, he just as slowly slid her legs apart.

Her light grey panties were soaked, and the sight made his mouth water. He dragged a finger over the soaked section, right down the part of her lips, and she moaned her approval, shaking at the sensation. Kakashi was enjoying every second or it, and he instantly cursed the fact that the Sharingan was no longer in his left eye to copy every small detail of the kunoichi before him. She was beautiful, with her pink cheeks and her parted lips and half lidded eyes.

The moment he slipped the same finger under the thin fabric shielding her from his eyes and shoved it to the side, she leaned back on her elbows, letting her head fall back, and when he dragged a finger over her lips, he felt her body shiver.

Sakura was soaking wet and it made his erection throb painfully in his pants. He wanted to slide into the kunoichi before him so bad, but instead he rubbed the digit in slow circular motions over the small swollen pearl at the juncture of her lips, and her breaths started coming out faster and breathier. He leaned down enough to be on the same level as her pelvis, and when his breath ghosted the pink skin of her nether lips, glistening with her juices, she shivered excitedly.

"You're such a tease, Kakashi." Instead of replying, he trailed his tongue around her clit, slowly and softly, and he could feel her instant reaction, as her hand gripped his hair almost painfully, urging him forward. The throbbing of his cock was getting too hard to ignore, so he drenched his right-hand digits with her juices before pulling his member out of its confines, stroking himself as he teased her button with his tongue.

He looked up at the kunoichi, and quickly took notice that she had unzipped her qipao and was pinching a tight pink nipple eagerly. He quickly paused his actions and tugged off her panties, before continuing his actions, but instead of just his tongue, he plunged a finger inside her, and the action was met with a loud moan that he was sure had he been in his old apartment, his neighbors would've heard. Sakura was so tight, and the way she felt around his finger made him tighten the grip around his cock, as he tried to recreate the feeling. Kakashi sped up the motion of his tongue, and he could feel the kunoichi coming undone, and when he slipped a second digit inside her, her moans became more frequent.

"I'm gonna- Kakashi, I think I'm gonna- "She didn't get to finish her sentence, as he felt her clench around his fingers. He greedily lapped up the flow of juices that poured out of her, and before he could bring himself to his own release, she pushed him off, shaking her head at him as she hopped off the counter and got down on her knees. The sight of her with her qipao still open and her perky breasts exposed and the soft glow of her orgasm on her face was better than anything he had ever seen in his life, and when she took his member in her hand, he was instantly aware of what she was trying to reciprocate.

"You don't have to-" His words froze on his tongue the moment she took him in her mouth until her lips were touching his base, and he was too overcome by pleasure to even care how she could fit him all in her mouth. She moved fast, rocking her head back and forth with enough pressure to be pleasurable and not at all painful, that within a few motions he was close to release, and he knew she could tell, as she gripped his hips tight enough to leave a mark, keeping him in place for his release to go down her throat. When he finally came, she swallowed his seed with a mischievous look in her eye that let him know it wouldn't be long until they were taking things at a pace she preferred.

"Hop in the shower Sakura," she hastily rearranged her clothes and nodded her head, the confidence and arousal replaced with a shy blush. "I'll get started on dinner."

When he heard the shower running, he absentmindedly began chopping up the eggplant and lettuce. With arousal no longer clouding his mind, he couldn't stop the thoughts flooding his mind. He had crossed a boundary between the two of them that he had wanted to wait a bit longer before venturing past. They had grown extremely close in the two years after the war, but they had just finally decided to try being something other than close friends. It still felt too soon, and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel she was being used.

But the way she had looked when he had been between her thighs was contradictory to what he was thinking. Nothing about the look in her eye screamed vulnerable, in fact, she had looked like she had complete control over the situation, even though he had been the one pleasuring her. Sakura had tasted better than the most expensive sake he had ever had, and he could still taste her in his mouth, sweet and earthy and so _her_. He could feel himself slowly getting hard again just from recalling every little detail of what had just happened, the way she had writhed under his touch, how she had pursed her soft lips around his member, so he quickly took his mind off the events that had just transpired.

When she walked out of his room, where the largest bathroom of the residence was located, she was clad in one of his jounin long sleeve shirts that reached to her midthigh, exposing her long legs to his view. Her hair was glistening, still damn from the shower she had just had, and she looked angelic in a way that was he was sure he'd never get tired of. Kakashi felt like the luckiest man alive, and part of him wanted to scream it out from the rooftop, but he composed himself and made space for her to comfortably join him in the task he had managed to prolong with his thoughts.

"How was the spar?" Kakashi asked innocently. He had only witnessed the kiss, which now that he thought about it, made him feel stupid for how he felt when he saw it. The woman before him loved him and only him, it was obvious from every single one of her actions, and he had been an old fool for even doubting her. The kunoichi looked a bit tense at the question, but she quickly composed herself and the look was replaced with a small awkward smile.

"Sasuke is an idiot. As always. He's genuinely sorry, that much I can tell. But he kissed me, and I didn't like that. I don't know how to explain it besides saying that I didn't like what he did." He nodded his head. Kakashi knew what she meant, something about the way she expressed it let him in on how she felt about the situation. He knew her the way he knew every single scar that littered his body, and he could tell she was genuine about how she felt. She continued salting the saury and before long she had the meal in the oven.

"It's a little too late for him to try and reciprocate the feelings you had for him." She nodded her head, and she could see the relieved expression on her face at his choice of words. Sakura had expected him to be upset, he could tell, and although he had felt annoyed at the Uchiha, he suddenly felt sorry for him. They were similar in a way, and they had gone through similar experiences. Things like that took a toll on people.

"I forgave him and asked him to never do that again. Life is too short for grudges. It's one thing I've learned as shinobi." Sakura was wise beyond her years; it was one of the many reasons he had fallen in love with her. He nodded his head in agreement, and when she reached behind him for the bottle of shochu she had brought over, he grabbed two small glasses from a cupboard and some ice from the freezer. That was the end of that conversation, there was nothing else to be said and he was glad for it.

"Spend the night." He murmured behind a sip of cool shochu. Her eyes widened in surprise, and a blush spread across her face. She was cute when she was flustered, and he couldn't help the chuckle that slipped past his lips.

"If anyone sees me walking out of here during the day it'll make people talk." She seemed worried about what he would think about it, but Kakashi didn't care. He was willing to put his life on the line for the village, and the least he deserved was some happiness in his life.

"I don't mind. Unless you do?" The question lingered in the air for a second, and when she fervently shook her head, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in.

"I don't care. I'll stay."

**...**

* * *

I hope you guys like this chapter, it was fun to write! My first-time writing smut so I hope you guys enjoy and I hope I didn't do so bad! I feel like it was delayed but work and school has been annoying, I really really HATE biology. Let me know what you think and give me input on what you think I should do with poor Sasuke!


	8. Juniper & Coriander

Sleeping next to Kakashi had been the best sleep Sakura had gotten since she was a child. While it wasn't the first time it had ever happened, it was the first time since they had made their feelings completely transparent. He was warm, and the soft grip he kept on her during his slumber made her feel safe, as if nothing could ever hurt her. It still felt too early, and the bright red numbers on the alarm clock sitting on the dresser next to his bed confirmed her thoughts. 3AM was way too damn early, but there was nothing that could keep her anxiety from picking at her head, not even the comfort of Kakashi's embrace, and she mentally chastised herself for not being able to keep her emotions in check.

Anxiety. As a medical ninja, she knew everything there was to know about the human body, and she prided herself in the medical skills she had mastered from her shishou, but psychology had never really been something she had felt comfortable delving into. Part of her knew it was because it would mean having to face her own thoughts and feelings, but she had brushed it aside, blaming the fact that physical medical care would always be foremost in a battlefield. The aftermath would always take a backseat, so when she had returned to Konoha after her first true taste of battle with Sasori, she had kept the strain her brain had taken to herself.

From then on, the same thing happened after every strenuous thing that she experienced, and time after time she returned home, a little bit less the person she used to be. Kakashi's presence helped tremendously, in particular after the events with Sasuke. She had gone from laying on her bed struggling to breath and covered in cold sweat, to seeking the comfort that his mere presence brought. It was a dangerous line, she knew it, but finding another way to deal with it was admitting something was wrong, and that was something she still wasn't ready for. She was at her prime, finally at a level surpassing her shishou. The one thing she didn't want to admit was that she needed help.

Having had enough of thinking about the somber topic and wanting to stray as far as she could from the ugly anxiety, she switched thoughts to the man sleeping besides her. Sakura knew better than to believe in something as impossible as perfection, but Kakashi was the closest thing to it she'd ever seen. His silver hair framed his soft face in an almost surreal manner, and had she not know any better she wouldn't have believed he was fourteen years her senior. He looked only a few years older than most of the Konoha 11, the only tell of his age being the small tear throughs that had recently adorned his face, most likely from the stress of being Hokage.

Before she could process what she was doing, her fingers reached the soft skin on his cheek, slowly tracing over his jawline. He was so beautiful, it made her want to cry. She suddenly felt undeserving of him, what had she done to merit his affection? She was just a stupid girl, and he was _the _Kakashi Hatake. Rokudaime Hokage. Would she ever even compare? What would she do if something happened to him? It was all her anxiety talking, she knew it, but she couldn't help the sudden stinging in her ears and the way she felt the sudden stuffiness in the room, like the oxygen was slowly being seeped out. The more she tried to even her breathing the harder it got, until she was sure she was having an anxiety attack.

"Sakura? Are you okay? Look at me," Kakashi was up in seconds, and she felt disappointed knowing she woke him from his slumber, but when their eyes met and when she saw the worry embedded in his dark orbs, she felt the sudden need to fight her way out of the attack grow into desperation. "Breathe with me, c'mon."

She mimicked the rising and falling of his chest, until she could feel the air in her lungs coming in and out at a normal pace. As much as she wanted to act unbothered by what had happened, the embarrassment burned into her cheeks and she let glued her eyes to her lap, too ashamed to meet his gaze.

"How often does this happen?" His tone was quiet, but she could hear the worry in his words. She wanted to lie, assure him that it was the first time, give him a story about a bad dream, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Often. Ever since Sasori." She hadn't expected the relief she felt when she told him the truth. It was the first time she had ever let anyone know about it, and it felt good. He nodded his head and brought his hands to her shoulders, slowly rubbing the exposed skin in comforting circles, and when he wrapped his arms around her, she felt calm, as if nothing had happened.

"Don't keep these things to yourself, Sakura. Talk to me. I'm here." She nodded her head. He was right, like always, she knew it. But it wasn't that easy, opening up about her weaknesses. She would try though, she told herself. That much, she deserved. They both did.

**…...**

When she woke, she instantly felt the emptiness next to her, the missing body heat that belonged to Kakashi. She took a look at the clock and when she saw the time, she sighed in annoyance. _'12:00P.M'_, it read. She had overslept, no thanks to the events of the night before. She quickly took notice of the small yellow note next to the clock and when she sat up and rubbed the last remains of sleep from her eyes, she picked it up.

'_Had Pakkun fetch you a change of clothes from your Apt. Not sure what time I'll be back. Important meeting._

_Love, K.H.'_

Sure enough, there had been a neatly folded pair of clothes at the foot of his bed, and after meticulously making his bed, she hopped into the large shower of his current home. The warm water felt amazing on her skin, and she let out a sigh of contentment. It helped alleviate the tension that had gathered in her muscles thanks to the anxiety attack she had suffered the night before, and when her eyes caught a glimpse of a bottle she hadn't noticed there the night before, her lips curled into a soft smile.

_Juniper & Coriander. _She had been eyeing the expensive bottle of body wash at a shop in the finer parts of Konoha for a while now, but she hadn't been able to find an excuse to pay the slightly hefty price for the item. And here it was, brand new, in Kakashi's bathroom. He had noticed. She poured out a small amount into her palms, lathering it onto her body until she was completely covered. The scent was extraordinary, and the more she inhaled it in the better it got. She finally rinsed off, and when she stepped out of the shower, she felt completely rested and relaxed.

Stepping out of the Hokage residence, she quickly made her way down to the training grounds, only stopping at an _okonomiyaki _stand for a quick late breakfast/lunch. As much as she had wanted to go visit her favorite person, she knew it was impossible. A meeting was almost always too important to interrupt, especially over something so trivial, so she had settled with getting in some training. When she reached the grounds, she was surprised to notice it wasn't vacant, for there before her was Sasuke, and he wasn't alone.

"Sakura!" The beautiful brunette waved her over, oblivious to the small amount of remaining tension between her and the raven-haired boy. She quickly forced her lips into the most genuine smile she could muster, before slowly making her way over towards the pair. "Considering the fact that I learned taijutsu from Gai-sensei, I'm surprised Sasuke can keep up with me without his Sharingan, can you believe it?"

"Almost as hard to believe as the fact he decided to train with anyone out of team 7." Her tone had come out a bit sharper than she had wanted it to sound, but she let out a breath of relief when she realized Tenten hadn't noticed. Sasuke, on the other hand, had, and his eyes had a questioning glint to them that made her panic for a second.

"She was here when I got here, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. My taijutsu is a bit rusty." _Liar_, she wanted to say, but she nodded and smiled. Why should she care? "We're done here, if you want the ground."

"Oh no, its fine, I don't want to interrupt, you guys were here first." Tenten shook her head, and for a second she wanted to roll her eyes at how oblivious she was to the whole situation, but she quickly got over it. Tenten was a friend, and it wasn't her fault. She didn't know.

"It's fine, really! We were gonna go get some onigiri, I skipped breakfast." Sakura was livid. Was he really gonna use Tenten to try and make her jealous? She had been through enough after the war, losing Neji had taken a toll on the weapons master, she had seen it upfront, she didn't deserve whatever Sasuke was doing.

"Thank you! Oh, and don't forget weekly ramen night Sasuke!" He had understood the implications of her words. The quiet, '_We'll talk later.' _When he nodded his head and walked off with the doe eyed kunoichi, she could feel her blood boil. Just when she had felt she could learn to coexist with the Uchiha without faking the pleasantries, he pulled the rug out from under her and blindsided her with his stupid decisions. She didn't want to sound so self-centered, but why would Sasuke suddenly take any interest in training with anyone but his teammates?

She huffed in annoyance, kicking the gravel beneath her feet before dropping down to the floor, crossing her legs in a meditative stance. Annoyance and all the feeling of unpleasantness would do no good to her training, she needed to clear her mind. She evened out her breaths, mentally counting them until the exercise was no longer necessary. Once her mind was clear, she stood, pulling out three shuriken from the holster wrapped around her thigh.

Sakura opened her eyes. It took her less than half a second to select three targets. A tree with a crooked trunk to her left, a practice target to her back. The person perfectly cloaking their chakra, slowly approaching, to her right. Had she been anyone else but Sakura Haruno, the Godaime Hokage's apprentice, and the student of one of the best tracking nin the Rokudaime Hokage, she might have not sensed them. She leaped high into the air, flipping mid-leap in order to throw all well-aimed kunai to their perspective targets. All made perfect contact, save for the one that was now in the hands of a charcoal eyed blond she hadn't seen since the Fourth Great Ninja War.

The Kumogakure nin flashed her a polite smile before throwing the kunai back at her, well aimed towards her throat, but he knew she'd catch it. There was no way he'd aim it if he didn't think she could. His smooth voice broke the silence, and she couldn't help but recall the events after the war that she had shoved to the back of her mind. "Haruno-san, it's been a long time."

"C."

**…...**

**Why did I put C in here? What's up with Kakashi meeting with the Raikage? WHAT IS GOING ON? I was thinking of dropping this story in favor of **_**Is There Somewhere **_**thanks to a rude review about the way I wrote Kakashi but screw you reviewer. I enjoy writing this story and knowing that at least one person likes it is enough for me. Hope you guys enjoy! Also, Happy New Year!**

**Ps**

**I noticed that even when I go back and edit on FF, the line transitions on my stories don't show on mobile so its all just kind of together and I hate it, so if you get weird notifications that I updated and there's no new chapter, it's just me trying to edit and fix it.**


	9. From Time

"No way, there's absolutely NO WAY," Sakura ignored her best friend in favor of packing the rest of her clothes inside her knapsack with a little more vigor than necessary. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, and she could feel the anger rushing through her veins at the shitty situation she'd be subjected to. She'd recently been assigned a mission, which consisted of her traveling to Kumogakure, staying for however long it took for her and C to come up with a cure to the disease spreading among the people and for however long it took Sasuke to find out if foul play was involved. "Sakura, he did not assign you to work with the guy you had a celebratory, drunken one-night stand with, AND the guy who tried to kill you TWICE! He can't be that dense!"

"He doesn't know about C, Ino!" Sakura shoved the now full pack off her bed and threw herself next to the blonde spitfire. How the hell did she deserve everything that was happening to her? The girl next to her let out a way too quiet '_oh_', which Sakura did not appreciate at all. She needed emotional support at the moment! "As for Sasuke, he didn't really have a choice, everyone else was either busy or not suited for inquisition."

"Well why did he have to send you? You would think he'd want to keep his hot young piece of ass around at all times…" They both laughed, and when Sakura let out a heavy sigh, she could swear she felt her eyes stinging from the tears that were threatening to form. She seriously didn't want to go.

"The Raikage asked for the best medic available, no offense pig." Ino waved her off with a laugh and a wink, and Sakura cursed the fact that she couldn't shrink her soul-sister and take her with her to keep her company and offer her support.

"None taken, we both know my area of expertise is interrogation." They laid quietly for what seemed like an eternity, before Ino broke the silence that had settled in the room. "You'll be fine Sakura, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I could be getting kidnapped to an arranged marriage with C, and a life of servitude in the Kumogakure ER. Night shifts forever." Ino propped herself on her elbows and gave Sakura a worried look, but when she could no longer hold the serious expression on her face, they broke out into uncontrolled laughter.

"Knock on wood, Forehead! I don't want to have to end up rescuing from the claws of Kumo! The stuffy weather there does not do my hair any favors." Sakura felt her mood lightening up thanks to the conversation with Ino, and she quickly pounced at her, throwing her arms around her in a tight embrace. She was going to miss her immensely.

"I wish I could kidnap you and take you with me, but I don't fancy the idea of Sai finding out and going after me, the ink he uses is almost impossible to wash off clothes." Ino giggled and returned the embrace, before agreeing that yes, it would be a shame if Sai ruined her outfit.

"Like that time I snuck him into my room and we started to f-"

"INO, HE'S LIKE MY BROTHER!"

"Ugh, just wait until you and that hot former teacher of yours get it on, you wont be so prude then!" She haughtily exclaimed before turning to steal a glimpse of her reaction. When she noticed the extremely nonchalant expression on her face, her eyes widened more than Sakura had ever seen. "What happened AND SPARE NO DETAIL YOU FAKE BEST FRIEND YOU!"

Not much had happened, but the little that had transpired was enough to make her cheeks burn from just thinking about it. He wanted to take things slow, truly, but he had allowed her a glimpse at just how good he could make her feel, something that he shouldn't have done, because now she wanted all of him. Ino was still looking at her with expectant eyes, so she cupped her mouth over her ear and whispered to her the steamy events of the prior night.

"Sakura, how did you not force the man to take you then and there! What a tease, I never would've expected that from him, although he is sort of a closeted-perv." Sakura smacked her softly on the back of the head and rolled her eyes at her assumption, which was completely off.

"He wants to take it slow, Ino. I'm trying to respect it but…"

"But screw that! You guys are two consenting adults who OBVIOUSLY want to bang, so what's the issue?" Sakura had no answer. Ino was right, there really was no reason for them to 'take things slow', as a matter of fact, from what had occurred in his kitchen, they most certainly both wanted to hit third base. They had been close.

"Maybe he doesn't want me to think that's all he wants." That was the most logical explanation she could think of, and Ino seemed to agree, but before she could give her some input, a quick glance at the clock on her wall let her know if she didn't get her ass up and out, she'd be late to meet Raikage and her travel companions at the village gates. "Let's talk about this when I get back, if I don't get going now, I'm gonna be late."

"If you get back!" The playful glint in her friends eyes let her know she was joking, and with a quick hug and a pinky promise to please-please-please water her plants, she was gone in a flurry of soft black feathers.

…

The formation was stupid, but seeing as the Raikage had set it up, she swallowed her thoughts and kept her mouth shut. Mr. Mighty Raikage was sitting in his carriage, which was being lifted by four burly Kumo-nin. The sight made her want to scoff, she could carry them all the way to Kumogakure with just her pinky, but once again, she kept her mouth shut. Aside from that, Sasuke and another burly Kumo-nin whose name she actually knew, Darui, were stationed at the front, while she found herself stuck with C guarding the back.

"You look excited to be here." She shot him a glare that spoke _shut up before I punch your teeth in_, but he was either oblivious to it or blind, or maybe insane. Or maybe all. "Joking."

She was annoyed. She hadn't been able to say even say a proper goodbye to Kakashi because of how fast everything had happened, and to rub salt in the wound, Tenten had been at the gate to send Sasuke off. It wasn't that she was jealous of their 'relationship', she was jealous of the fact they could be so open about whatever the hell it was that was going on between them, while she was cursed to suffer until she got back to Konoha. So was the downside of dating the Hokage, she bitterly thought to herself.

"Wanna talk about it?" The slightly concerned look on C's face made her feel a bit guilty for subjecting him to her venomous glare, and she quickly let out a long calming breath before replying.

"I'm fine, truly." He stayed silent for a while, and she thanked the heavens he had dropped her, but she instantly took it back when he broke the silence.

"If it's about what happened after the war, we could completely act like it never happened…if you want." He looked so flustered she wanted to laugh, but instead she settled for agreeing with him.

"I think that would be best." She saw the flicker of dejection in his face, but when he shot her an understanding smile, she pretended she hadn't. This was gonna be the worst trip ever, she could already tell.

From then on until they stopped for the night, Sakura daydreamed about Kakashi in his sexy ANBU outfit (that she had seen in old pictures) rescuing her from the boredom of C's awkward company and taking her to a luxurious room in some randomly found castle, where he would proceed to ravish her in a super-hot yet completely loving manner, but the annoying sound of C's breathing kept messing with her concentration, until it was no longer Kakashi, but C who was angling her head back by her head for a kiss.

Which was slightly weird because that part of the scene had happened, she thought to herself matter-of-factly as she took a seat on a tree log on the ground of their campsite. It was one of the small things she could actually remember from that night in the empty makeshift medical tent, aside from the fact that he hadn't been half bad, she had to give him that at least. Her not so innocent thoughts were interrupted by a bowl of aromatic curry being shoved a little too close to her face.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" She certainly did, but she could see C (see C, funny) slowly approaching, and figured she'd much more rather sit next to someone who she'd shared a kiss with, than someone who she'd shared a one-night stand with. When she scooted over, and Sasuke took a seat, C awkwardly made his way back to join Darui and one of the burly Kumo-nin he was in deep conversation with.

"You two could not be more obvious." She almost chocked on a spoonful of curry, and when she managed to swallow it, she gave him a what she could only hope had been a clueless expression. When he smirked, Sakura knew she had failed. "When did you two hook up?"

"I don't think that's any of your business." If the harsh tone of her reply bothered him, he didn't let it show, which annoyed her even further.

"It's not, I was just curious. Doesn't seem like your type at all." He was grating her nerves, but when he mentioned type, he piqued her own curiosity and she couldn't help but take the bait he had obviously set up for her.

"Oh yeah? Do tell, Sasuke. What exactly is my type?"

"Let's see, _Sa-ku-ra_. Tall and broody with a history of past trauma. That guy," he said as he motioned a head nod towards the oblivious C, "is the complete opposite. Even Naruto can cross two items off that list."

She wanted to tell him he had it all wrong, that he knew absolutely nothing about her and what she found attractive, but he had been eerily correct. Both he and Kakashi could cross off all three things on the stupid list, so she decided to quickly change the subject before he threw anymore stupid facts in her face.

"One would think you'd go to Lee for 'taijutsu practice'." The amusement in his face was a dead giveaway to the fact that her words had backfired on her, and she internally cursed her stupid mouth for letting the words come out without allowing her mind to protest a better retort.

"Are you jealous?"

"Fuck off, Sasuke."

"You're right, maybe you want to catch up with lover boy over there and break it down to him that you're fucking the Rokudaime." She pulled him back down on the log before he could even stand completely, her grip tighter than it had to be on his forearm.

"Who's the jealous one now, huh?" Her reply hit a nerve, she could tell by the way he was practically snarling at her, but he quickly rearranged his face into a calmer one, and when she was sure he wouldn't leave her to be accosted by the clueless blonde that was now throwing questioning glances their way, she let go of his arm. "Can we try to be civil for once? You're the only familiar face, scratch that, the only one out of two familiar faces I'd rather be on speaking terms with for who knows how long this mission will take."

"Hn." His stupid sound of agreement made her feel a bit better, and they finished eating their dinner in a not so hostile silence. And when she was offered first watch of the night, she left his side to perch upon a tree that would let her have a broad view of the surrounding area.

…

When Sasuke came around to relieve her, she had managed to give him a sincere apology, and he had accepted it with an apology of his own. They had both crossed a line, and although it was not as bad as attempted murder, it had been a line, nonetheless. Yes, she was still slightly annoyed but for once, after so long of being full of hate and resentment towards Sasuke, she was beginning to feel a slight bit of normalcy between them.

"Once inside the small tent he had so graciously set up for her (before lover boy did, he had explained), her eyes found the small sleeping form of Pakkun sleeping with his belly up a top her pillow. She admired the super-cute scene for a good while, until he let out the loudest fart ever. On her pillow. In her tent. The sound and smell woke him up before she herself could, and although she prayed that no one had heard the disgusting sound, she was pretty sure she had heard one of the burly Kumo-nin gag.

"Yo."

"Pakkun." He offered her an apologetic smile before prancing over to her, which made the scroll on his back noticeable. When she unlatched the scroll, she scratched the spot behind his ear and he disappeared in a puff of smoke, which was uncommon for Pakkun, who usually loved begging for sessions of 'therapeutic scratches'. Alas, she blamed it on the fact that he was probably embarrassed about his gassiness. She quickly gave her undivided attention to the scroll in her hands, snapping it open as fast as she could before delving in its contents.

'_Sakura,_

_I'm sorry for not being able to see you off, please don't take my lack of absence as avoidance or as me hiding the nature of our relationship from onlookers. Shikamaru had me looking over some information that might shorten the span of your mission, once I have more intel, I'll send it over to Raikage-sama._

_I miss your vivid presence already._

_Love,_

_K.H.'_

She hugged the small scroll close to her heart before putting it in her knapsack and slipping into her sleeping bag. Her heart was practically leaping at the fact that he went through the trouble of sending Pakkun to deliver an apology to her, and she quickly forgot the annoyance she had previously felt about her situation. She delighted and slightly sad all at once, because as much as she wanted to act the tough part, all she wanted in that moment was to be in his arms, to be held and hugged by him.

So she laid there, with tears silently streaming down her face and a small smile on her lips, a clear picture of contrasting emotions, and for a second she marveled at the fact that she could hold so much pain yet so much love, all in her small frame. Pain from the shitty cards life had dealt her, and love for the man with silver hair and eyes that held a whole galaxy within. Sakura fell asleep with those thoughts in her head, and dreamt of love and loss, and how the world kept spinning no matter the circumstance, and finally, of laying in complete bliss next to Kakashi Hatake.

Little did she know, within the large gates of Konohagakure, Kakashi was laying in bed wide awake, evading sleep, for he knew when he finally closed his eyes, he'd be plagued with the blood of his fallen friends, and he'd wake with fear that the woman with sweet cotton candy hair and emerald green eyes that held his heart within them would be subject to the same fate as the brunette girl whose blood still stained his hands after all those years.

…

The next two days of travel went along the same as the first, but with a completely awkward silence between C and herself, which she was glad for. The awkwardness had been worse when he had attempted to start a conversation. She knew things in Kumogakure were somewhat bad when they were handed facemasks before even reaching the village, and when they did finally reach their destination, she felt an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. Everything seemed to empty and quiet, and she realized she hadn't tried to hide the concern in her face when C spoke in a hushed tone beside her.

"Everyone has been quarantined until the situation is handled, that's why it looks like a ghost town." She whispered back a silent '_oh_', and he offered her a small smile in return. She could tell the state his village was in bothered him greatly, and she was slightly impressed at the way he still carried himself with his head held high. She remembered the fact that he was slightly skilled in medical ninjutsu, and the medic part of her was slightly looking forward to seeing the extent of Kumo's medical knowledge.

Once inside the walls of the Raikage's tower, they were able to remove their masks, and they stood before the large man as they silently waited for his most trusted shinobi to join them. Sakura felt slightly nervous, to say the least. She was aware that most of the mission relied on her figuring out what exactly the disease (if it even was a disease) was and finding a way to cure those riddled with it. The opening of the doors behind her made her jump up a fraction of an inch, and she felt Sasuke's hand steadying her by her arm. Once everyone was settled inside, the Raikage began to give them the rundown on the events leading up to when people began to become ill. Before he had even finished listing off the symptoms, she had her hand raised for permission to speak, which he immediately granted her.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Raikage-sama, but everything you've just shared leads me to believe were not dealing with a disease, or a virus either." Murmurs broke out between the Kumogakure nin, and the large raised palm of the Raikage quickly silenced them.

"What could it be then, kunoichi?" She brushed off the annoyance she felt at the fact that he didn't address her by name.

"Your people are being poisoned."

….

I'm gonna dedicate this chapter to **Agentcaroline** for reviewing back to back on the last three chapters, thank you for giving me the push I needed to add another chapter to this small story! Also, to **usagi-no-usotsuki**, I will add B in the next chapter for you! I couldn't find a way to add him in this one since I figured someone would have to stay behind in Kumo to watch over the village. Thank you for your lovely reviews, and let me know what you think about this chapter, how do you feel about bitchy Sakura? How do you feel about the small truce between Sasuke and Sakura? How do you feel about Pakkun farting on Sakura's pillow? Until next chapter bb's!


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